Operating Characteristics of Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Based on Pt-Ru/C Anode Catalyst

Pt-Ru/C 촉매를 이용한 직접메탄을 연료전지 운전 특성

Direct methanol fuel cell based on a proton-exchange membrane electrolyte was investigated. 60% Pt-Ru/C and 60%Pt/C catalysts were employed for methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction, respectively. Morphologies of the catalysts were investigated by x-ray power diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and transmission microscopy. Electrochemical characteristics of the catalysts were tested by using cyclic voltametry technique. I-V characteristics of the fuel cell were tested by changing methanol concentration, temperature, and Nafion type as a proton-exchange membrane electrolyte. AC impedance technique was used to investigate the electrochemical performance of the fuel cell. The performance of single cell was enhance with increasing cell temperature. High operation temperature attributed to the combined effects of the reduction of ohmic resistance and polarization. High cell voltage was obtained from the concentration of 205M methanol. With Nafion 112, a current density of $230mA/cm^2$ at 0.55V was obtained from the concentration of 2.5M methanol.