In the last 20 years, direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs) have been the subject of tremendous research eforts for the potential application as on-demand power sources. Two leading technologies respectively based on proton exchange membranes (PEMs) and anion exchange membranes (AEMs) have emerged: the frst one operating in an acidic environment and conducting protons; the second one operating in alkaline electrolytes and conducting hydroxyl ions. In this review, we present an analysis of the state-of-the-art acidic and alkaline DAFCs fed with methanol and ethanol with the purpose to support a comparative analysis of acidic and alkaline systems, which is missing in the current literature. A special focus is placed on the efect of the reaction stoichiometry in acidic and alkaline systems. Particularly, we point out that, in alkaline systems, OH− participates stoichiometrically to reactions, and that alcohol oxidation products are anions. This aspect must be considered when designing the fuel and when making an energy evaluation from a whole system perspective.
Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells: A Comparative Review of Acidic and Alkaline Systems / Berretti, Enrico; Osmieri, Luigi; Baglio, Vincenzo; Miller, Hamish A.; Filippi, Jonathan; Vizza, Francesco; Santamaria, Monica; Specchia, Stefania; Santoro, Carlo; Lavacchi, Alessandro. - In: ELECTROCHEMICAL ENERGY REVIEWS. - ISSN 2520-8489. - ELETTRONICO. - 6:(2023). [10.1007/s41918-023-00189-3]
Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells: A Comparative Review of Acidic and Alkaline Systems
Luigi Osmieri;Hamish A. Miller;Stefania Specchia;
2023
Abstract
In the last 20 years, direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs) have been the subject of tremendous research eforts for the potential application as on-demand power sources. Two leading technologies respectively based on proton exchange membranes (PEMs) and anion exchange membranes (AEMs) have emerged: the frst one operating in an acidic environment and conducting protons; the second one operating in alkaline electrolytes and conducting hydroxyl ions. In this review, we present an analysis of the state-of-the-art acidic and alkaline DAFCs fed with methanol and ethanol with the purpose to support a comparative analysis of acidic and alkaline systems, which is missing in the current literature. A special focus is placed on the efect of the reaction stoichiometry in acidic and alkaline systems. Particularly, we point out that, in alkaline systems, OH− participates stoichiometrically to reactions, and that alcohol oxidation products are anions. This aspect must be considered when designing the fuel and when making an energy evaluation from a whole system perspective.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
---|---|---|---|
Electrochem Energy Rev 6 2023 30 - Berretti.pdf
accesso aperto
Descrizione: Articolo
Tipologia:
2a Post-print versione editoriale / Version of Record
Licenza:
Creative commons
Dimensione
5.01 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
5.01 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
Pubblicazioni consigliate
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
https://hdl.handle.net/11583/2981232