Fabrication of MEA on carbon supported PtSnO2 and Pt for ethanol oxidation in DEFC

A remarkable alternative to H2-fueled PEMFC for portable and mobile application is the use of ethanol as a fuel [1]. Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) appear as a good choice for producingsustainable energy for portable applications. However, they are still far from attaining acceptable levels of power output, since their performance is affected by the slow electrochemical ethanol oxidation and water and ethanol crossover [2]. In the present work, an experimental study on the performance of a passive DEFC is described. The PtSnO2/C (3:1) and Pt/C are used for anode and commercial Pt/C is used for anode material.A maximum power density of 1.78 mW cm-2, was obtained using a Nafion 115 membrane, 4 mg cm-2 of PtSnO2 and 3 mg cm-2 of Pt on the anode and cathode catalyst layer. The carbon supported PtSnO2 catalyst showed higher OCV and power density for ethanol compared withPt/C as anode catalyst. In addition, the EOR was investigated in different concentrations of ethanol and the 1M solution was the optimum concentration has been reported by other groups. This feature has been related to the ethanol crossover to the cathode side reducing the power density by increase in concentration of ethanol.

کلیدواژه ها:

Tin Oxide ، DEFC