Liquid Fed Direct Fuel Cell based on a Membraneless Architecture

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a new type of fuel cell with a novel architecture that can operate without the conventional polymer electrolyte membrane. The fuel cell operates similar to a conventional liquid fed fuel cell and is compatible with most types of fuel cell. Conventional membranes and fuel cell designs present limitations to fuel cell performance such as: fuel cross-over, degradation or contamination of membrane, ohmic losses and reduced active triple phase boundary sites for catalyst located away from the membrane/electrode interface region. The absence of a membrane in this new architecture alleviates many of these issues. The simplified design thus offers performance and cost advantages over conventional fuel cell architectures. The technology has applications in liquid fed direct fuel cell systems, including portable and micro-fuel cells. The technology has applications in direct methanol fuel cells as well as in other liquid fuel cells. Advantages:
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Increased fuel utilization to reduce fuel crossover and allow higher fuel concentrations
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Flexibility for numerous liquid fuels
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Elimination of performance reducing effects of membranes such as ohmic losses, environmental sensitivity and limited catalytic sites
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Compatible with conventional bipolar fuel cell configurations
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Reduced component costs due to elimination of polymer membrane

Type of Offer: Licensing



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