Direct use of methanol in fuel cells

A fuel cell is a device in which the energy of a fuel is converted directly into electricity direct current by an electrochemical reaction without resorting to a burning process, rather than to heat by a combustion reaction. Methanol can be used in blend with conventional fuels without engine modification or pure as a fuel. The direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is an extremely promising power source for portable applications due to its simple handling and processing of fuel. A DMFC converts chemical energy into electricity via oxidization of methanol. Research into the electro-catalysis of methanol has been stimulated by intense interest in advancing fuel cells. Main advantages of direct use of methanol in fuel cells are: (a) Methanol is fed into fuel cell; (b) Complicated catalytic reforming is not needed; (c) The actual power densities of a DMFC are clearly lower than those of a conventional hydrogen-fed polymer electrolyte fuel cell. Methanol oxidation reaction at Pt and Pt alloy electrodes has attracted considerable attention during the last decades in relation to the direct methanol fuel cells.