Back to results
US 2006/0188767 A1Published application
Fuel cells and fuel cell catalysts
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
InventorsRichard Masel, Cynthia Rice, Piotr Waszczuk, Andrzej Wieckwski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A direct organic fuel cell includes a formic acid fuel solution having between about 10% and about 95% formic acid. The formic acid is oxidized at an anode. The anode may include a Pt/Pd catalyst that promotes the direct oxidation of the formic acid via a direct reaction path that does not include formation of a CO intermediate.
Claims9
1-26. (canceled)
A membrane electrode assembly for use with a direct organic fuel cell containing an organic fuel, the fuel cell including:
- a solid polymer electrolyte having first and second surfaces, an anode on said first surface and a cathode on said second surface and electrically linked to said anode, said solid polymer electrolyte having a thickness t:
- t
- ≥
- n
- f
-
- D
- f
-
- C
- f
-
- K
- f
- 𝒥
-
-
- j
- f
- c
- where Cf is the fuel concentration over said anode, Df is the effective diffusivity of the fuel in said solid polymer electrolyte, Kf is the equilibrium constant for partition coefficient for the fuel into said solid polymer electrolyte membrane, ℑ is Faraday's constant, nf is the number of electrons released when 1 mole of the fuel is oxidized, and jfc is an empirically determined crossover rate of fuel below which the fuel cell does not operate.
18 more elements
29-37. (canceled)
A direct organic fuel cell comprised of:
- a liquid fuel solution containing a at least 10% (by wt.) organic,
- a membrane electrode assembly having an anode contained in an anode enclosure, said organic liquid fuel solution contained in said anode enclosure, a cathode electrically linked to said anode and contained in a cathode enclosure, an oxidizer contained in said cathode enclosure and a solid polymer electrolyte sandwiched between said anode and said cathode, said membrane electrode assembly having a thickness t:
- t
- ≥
- n
- f
-
- D
- f
-
- C
- f
-
- K
- f
- 𝒥
-
-
- j
- f
- c
- where Cf is said fuel concentration over said anode, Df is the effective diffusivity of said fuel in said solid polymer electrolyte, Kf is the equilibrium constant for partition coefficient for said fuel into said solid polymer electrolyte membrane, ℑ is Faraday's constant, nf is the number of electrons released when 1 mole of said fuel is oxidized, and jfc is an empirically determined crossover rate of fuel below which the fuel cell does not operate.
19 more elements
42-46. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.