NEW ELECTRO CATALYSTS FOR ACID DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELLS.

Objective

DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRO CATALYST FOR THE DIRECT OXYDATION OF METHANOL. THE MAIN PROBLEM WHICH HAS TO BE SOLVED IS THE POISONING OF THE CATALYST.
THE OBJECTIVE IS TO OBTAIN A CURRENT DENSITY OF 50 M A/CM2 AND A POTENTIAL OF 0,5 V AT 60 CELSIUS DEGREE.
A large number of alloys of nonnoble metals with platinum were studied as methanol catalysts, using cyclic voltammetry and current time transients. One platinum ternary system was discovered to be more active than any other catalytic material studied up to now. The nature of the strongly adsorbed intermediate was studied by in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of polished alloy surfaces. The coverage with carbon monoxide, poisoning the electrode surface, strongly depends on the kind of alloy. Metal porphyrin or polyacrylonitrile based electrocatalysts offer an economic way to obtain oxygen electrodes with selective catalytic behaviour in methanol solution. Teflon bonded porous carbon electrodes, up to a size of 20 cm{2} have been tested successfully at ambient temperatures and at 60 C. Long duration tests on half cells have been performed over more than 2500 hours and more than 100 Ahour/cm{2}. 2 methanol fuel cells have been built for demonstration purposes.
PREPARATION OF ELECTROCATALYSTS AND ELECTROCHEMICAL MEASUREMENTS OF A LARGE VARIETY OF CATALYSTS ON A SMOOTH SURFACED ELECTRODE.

CONSTRUCTION AND OPTIMISATION OF CATALYST ELECTRODES CONSISTING OF DISPERSED CATALYST MATERIAL ON A SUBSTRATE WITH THE LARGEST CATALYST SURFACE.

CONSTRUCTION OF AN IMPROVED OXYGEN ELECTRODE.

Fields of science

Programme(s)

FP1-ENNONUC 3C - Research and development programme (EEC) in the field of Non-Nuclear Energy, 1985-1988

Topic(s)

Data not available

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

RHEINISCHE FRIEDRICH-WILHELMS-UNIVERSITAET BONN

Address

Regina Pacis Weg 3
Bonn
Germany

Links

Website