Electrochemical analysis of direct methanol fuel cells for low temperature operation

The electrochemical behaviour of Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs) was investigated at low temperatures (30°C-60°C). An 85 wt% Pt-Ru (1:1 a/o)/C anode catalyst and a 60 wt% Pt/C cathode catalyst were in-house prepared and characterised. The influence of noble metal loading on the performance of a DMFC based on these catalysts was studied by steady-state polarisation measurements. The DMFC maximum power density increased linearly from 30 to 75 mWcm-2 at 60°C passing from 1 to 5 mgcm-2 Pt loading in both electrodes. By further increasing the Pt loading at 10 mgcm-2 only a slight increase of power density was recorded (81 mWcm-2).