Progress in the development of a high-power, direct ethylene glycol fuel cell (DEGFC)

The correlation of electrochemical and fuel cell results for alcohol oxidation in acidic and alkaline media

“…As a larger molecule, in comparison to methanol, ethanol possesses lower crossover through the Nafion membrane [5] reducing the power losses at the cathode, however, the Nafion membrane swells more in ethanol than in methanol solutions [200]. Also other liquid organic compounds have been tested for DAFCs: 1-propanol [5], isopropanol (2-propanol) [5, 201 -203 ], ethylene glycol (with two OH-groups) [5,204] and glycerol (with three OH-groups) [5] have been studied as fuels for DAFCs, however, they have received little interest due to low performance.…”

Synthesis and Evaluation of Highly Tolerant Pd Electrocatalysts as Cathodes in Direct Ethylene Glycol Fuel Cells (DEGFC)

“…Furthermore, the complete oxidation of C 2 H 6 O 2 delivers 10 e -, i.e., more than CH 3 OH (6e -) and it has been reported by Peled´s group that the theoretical capacity of EG is higher than that of methanol (4.8 vs. 4 Ah/mL, respectively) [23]. The same group has successfully worked on the development of high power density DEGFCs [25][26][27][28].…”

Ethylene Glycol Electro-Oxidation on Platinum-Free Surfaces: How the Composition of PdRuRh Surfaces Influences the Catalysis

“…Specifically concerning this band, Figure 7 shows that PdRuRh 74:09:17 (red curve, 9% Ru) shows a CO 2 signal significantly higher than those of the other compositions, indicating that this composition is more active for the formation of CO 2 . Now, considering that the CO 2 oxidation pathway is the one that involves more electrons (see equations [2][3][4][5], it is expected that the surface which forms more CO 2 is responsible for the higher current densities.…”

“…In this subject, over recent years ethylene glycol (EG) has attracted increasing attention, as a possible candidate for use in direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFC) once it is a biorenewable, 1 highly soluble molecule. 2,3 Moreover, its low degree of toxicity, low flammability, high melting point, high energy density, high reactivity and high theoretical energy efficiency are characteristics that qualify it as a candidate for DAFC. [2][3][4] EG is an alcohol similar to ethanol (because it possesses a C−C bond in its structure), and is also similar to glycerol, once each carbon have a hydroxyl group attached to it.…”

“…2,3 Moreover, its low degree of toxicity, low flammability, high melting point, high energy density, high reactivity and high theoretical energy efficiency are characteristics that qualify it as a candidate for DAFC. [2][3][4] EG is an alcohol similar to ethanol (because it possesses a C−C bond in its structure), and is also similar to glycerol, once each carbon have a hydroxyl group attached to it. Thus, the study of its electro-oxidation can provide important information that could be applied to other alcohols of strategic interest in electrocatalysis.…”