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Published on: September 20, 2012
Hypophosphites as Eco-Compatible Fuels for Membrane-Free Direct Liquid Fuel Cells
Renhe Wang1, Mengjia Wu2, Servane Haller1
1Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Institute of New Energy, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
Abstract:
Crossover of liquid fuel remains a severe problem for conventional direct liquid fuel cells even when polymer electrolyte membranes are applied. Herein, we report for the first time a membrane-free direct liquid fuel cell powered by alkaline hypophosphite solution. The proof-of-concept fuel cell yields a peak power density of 32 mW cm-2 under air flow at room temperature. The removal of the polymer electrolyte membrane is attributed to the high reactivity and selectivity of Pd and α-MnO2 towards the hypophosphite oxidation on the anode and oxygen reduction on the cathode, respectively. The discharge products are analyzed by 31 P NMR spectroscopy and the faradaic efficiencies have been calculated after discharging at 10 mA cm-2 for 20 hours. The non-toxicity of hypophosphite and membrane-free fuel cell structure provide huge potential for future applications.
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