Perovskite Titanate as Electrode and Electrolyte Additive for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs)

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are promising and suitable options as power sources for portable devices thanks to the low operating temperature, high energy conversion, efficiency and low emission of pollutants. However, these devices present a series of drawbacks to be solved for large scale application and commercialization. The Nafion membranes and catalysts adopted, respectively as electrolyte and electrode components in these devices, suffer of cost, durability and efficiency issues. We propose a double-task strategy based on the use of perovskite calcium titanate (CaTiO3), as both additive in Nafion membranes and co-catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which is the main rate-decreasing step in these devices.