Improvement of the Performance of a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Using a Pulse Technique
- 1 January 2006
- journal article
- Published by The Electrochemical Society in Journal of the Electrochemical Society
- Vol. 153 (6) , A997-A1003
- https://doi.org/10.1149/1.2188330
Abstract
A pulse method is suggested for the improvement of the performance of a direct methanol fuel cell operated with PtRu anode and Pt cathode. The pulse method can be realized either in a potentiostatic or in a galvanostatic mode. In the galvanostatic regime of low current densities it allows for a temporary hoist of the cell voltage by up to 150mV150mV . It is suggested that by periodically applying a pulse to the fuel cell, the anode potential is shifted to positive values at which the otherwise high COadsCOads coverage on the PtRu anode is decreased by oxidation. After the pulse, the methanol oxidation rate is enhanced until the previous COadsCOads coverage is re-established and a new pulse is then applied. Differential electrochemical mass spectroscopy data reveal that an appreciable voltage gain can be obtained at a reduction of only ca. 10–15% of the COadsCOads saturation coverage.Keywords
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