• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• 제47권3호
• /
• pp.362-367
• /
• 2009

최근 직접 액체 연료전지의 연료로써의 개미산은 메탄올의 대안으로 부상하고 있다. 본 논문에서는 직접 개미산 연료전지(DFAFCs, Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cells)의 운전 조건을 변화시켜 성능을 측정 및 분석하였다. 예를 들면, 양이온 교환 막의 두께, 개미산 수용액의 농도, 기체 확산층과 상용 촉매 등을 비교 및 분석하였다. 양이온 교환 막의 두께는 크로스오버(cross-over)와 연관되어 성능에 영향을 크게 주었다. 성능 최적화를 위해 개미산의 농도를 변화시켰다. 또한 개미산 산화에 가장 활성이 높은 상용촉매를 찾기 위해 실험했다. 나피온($Nafion^{(R)}$)-115, Pt-Ru black 상용촉매로 막-전극 접합체를 구성하여 6 M 개미산 수용액으로 운전하였을 때 최적의 성능을 보였다. 직접 메탄올 연료전지(DMFCs, Direct Methanol Fuel Cells)와 비교하여 우수한 성능을 보였다.

• 멤브레인
• /
• 제33권6호
• /
• pp.325-343
• /
• 2023

직접 메탄올 연료전지(direct methanol fuel cell, DMFC)는 연료의 개질 없이 메탄올 연료를 공급하여 수소이온과 전자 생성을 통해 전류를 생산하는 에너지 변환 장치이다. 현재 DMFC에 적용되고 있는 고분자 전해질 막(polymer electrolyte membrane, PEM)은 높은 수소이온 전도도와 물리화학적 안정성을 갖는 과불소화계 이오노머를 활용한 PEM이지만, 높은 메탄올 투과율과 분해 시 발생되는 환경 오염 물질 등의 문제로 인해 신규 소재 개발이 요구되고 있다. 최근 들어, 과불소화계 이오노머에 비해 낮은 연료 투과율 및 우수한 물리화학적 안정성을 갖는 탄화수소계 고분자 기반 PEM을 DMFC에 적용하는 연구들이 보고되고 있다. 본 총설에서는 탄화수소계 고분자 기반 PEM 중 1) 친수성/소수성 영역의 뚜렷한 나노 상분리 구조를 나타내는 가지형 공중합체를 합성하여 수소이온 전도성과 메탄올의 선택도를 향상시킨 연구, 2) 제막 단계에서 가교 구조를 도입하여 메탄올 투과율을 감소시키고 치수 안정성을 향상시킨 연구, 3) 유/무기계 첨가제 및 다공성 지지체를 도입하여 성능을 개선한 복합 막 개발 연구에 대해 소개하고자 한다.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• 제34권9호
• /
• pp.2657-2662
• /
• 2013

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-g-poly (aniline-co-2,5-diaminobenzenesulfonic acid) (DABSA) reinforced Nafion$^{(R)}$ nanocomposite membranes were prepared and characterized for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The nanocomposite membranes with approximately $90{\mu}m$ thickness were prepared by the water assisted solution casting method. To evaluate the properties of nanocomposite membranes for DMFC applications, the nanocomposite membranes were characterized by methanol and water uptake, thermal stability, and ion exchange capacity (IEC). Furthermore, oxidative stability measurements in terms of the hydrogen peroxide decomposition rate that represent the oxidative stability of the membranes were examined. The methanol uptake values of the nanocomposite membranes were dramatically decreased compared to the cast Nafion$^{(R)}$ membranes. The IEC values of the nanocomposite membranes were increased about 30% compared to the cast Nafion$^{(R)}$ membrane.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국신재생에너지학회 2008년도 춘계학술대회 논문집
• /
• pp.45-48
• /
• 2008

This paper presents a passive air-breathing direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) which has been designed and tested. The single cell is fuelled by methanol vapor that is supplied through flow channel from a methanol reservoir at the anode, and the oxygen is supplied via natural air-breathing at the cathode. The methods for supplying the methanol vapor to the single cell were parallel channel and chamber. This research investigates various methods to identify the effects of using flow channels for providing the methanol vapor at the anode, and the opening ratio between the inlet and outlet ports for the methanol flow at the anode. The best flow channel condition for passive DMFC was a chamber, and the opening ratio was 0.8. Under these conditions, the peak power was 10.2mW/$cm^2$ at room temperature and ambient pressure. The key issues for the Passive DMFCs for using methanol vapor are that sufficient methanol needs to be supplied using a large as possible opening ratio. However, it is shown that the performance of the passive DMFC, which has a channel at the anode,is low due to the low differential pressure and insufficient methanol supply rate.

• 한국재료학회지
• /
• 제28권6호
• /
• pp.330-336
• /
• 2018

In this study, a membrane electrode assembly(MEA) composed of three electrodes(anode, cathode, and reference electrode) is designed to investigate the effects of methanol concentration on the overpotentials of anode and cathode in direct methanol fuel cells(DMFCs). Using the three-electrode cell, in-situ analyses of the overpotentials are carried out during direct methanol fuel cell operation. It is demonstrated that the three-electrode cell can work effectively in transient state operating condition as well as in steady-state condition, and the anode and cathode exhibit different overpotential curves depending on the concentration of methanol used as fuel. Therefore, from the real-time separation of the anode and cathode overpotentials, it is possible to more clearly prove the methanol crossover effect, and it is expected that in-situ analysis using the three-electrode cell will provide an opportunity to obtain more diverse results in the area of fuel cell research.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국신재생에너지학회 2006년도 추계학술대회
• /
• pp.413-416
• /
• 2006

PtRu catalyst is most widely used as anode catalyst for a direct methanol fuel cell(DMFC). To promote the efficiency of the catalysts, it Is important to increase the triple phase boundary. In this study, we have tried to increase the triple phase boundaries in preparing electrocatalysts of the fuel cells, based on the process of grafting a proton-conducting agent onto the catalyst This grafted proton-conducting agent can act as an ionomer like Nafion, currently widely used ionomer. First, we have prepared the 80wt% PtRu/Ketjen Black electrocatalyst by an improved colloidal method. And, we have grafted methylsulfonate groups $(-CH_2SO_3H)$ into the catalyst as proton-conducting agents. As results of cyclic voltammety and single cell test of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), we can conclude that the activity of the grafted electrocatalysts is superior to that of conventional ones, in performance of DMFCs. For our further study, we will investigate the optimum ratio of catalyst/grafted proton conduct Ing agent with maximum performance of a DMFC.

• 한국세라믹학회지
• /
• 제45권2호
• /
• pp.119-125
• /
• 2008

The FAS(Fluoroalkylsilane)/Nafion inorganic-organic composite electrolyte membrane was successfully fabricated through sol-gel method. The FAS having hydrophobic functional group and silanol ligands is impregnated in $Nafion^{(R)}$ membrane to reduce methanol crossover. The prepared FAS/Nafion inorganic-organic composite electrolyte membrane consist of the hydrophobic FAS-derived silicate nano-particles and $Nafion^{(R)}$ matrix showed decrease of methanol crossover and reduction of humidity dependence without large sacrifice of proton conductivity. The microstructural analysis of the composite membranes was performed using FESEM and FTIR. And the effect of the incorporation of the hydrophobic FAS-derived silicate nano-particles into $Nafion^{(R)}$ membrane was investigated via solvent uptake, membrane expansion rate, humidity dependency of proton conductivity and contact angle measurement.

• 한국수소및신에너지학회논문집
• /
• 제24권6호
• /
• pp.495-509
• /
• 2013

In this study, we develop a one-dimensional (1-D), two-phase, transient-thermal DMFC model to investigate the effect of methanol concentration fluctuation that usually occurs in active-type direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) systems. 1-D transient simulations are conducted and time-dependent behaviors of DMFCs are analyzed under various DMFC operating conditions such as anode/cathode stoichiometry, cell temperature, and cathode inlet humidification. The simulation results indicate that the effect of methanol concentration fluctuation on DMFC performance can be mitigated by proper control of anode/cathode stoichiometry, providing a guideline to optimize operating conditions of active DMFC systems.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• 제29권4호
• /
• pp.842-846
• /
• 2008

Layer-by-layer assembled multilayers of poly(ethersulfone)s were deposited on the surface of Nafion membrane for the application of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). Aminated poly(ethersulfone) (APES) and sulfonated poly(ethersulfone) (SPES) were used as a polycation and a polyanion for fabrication of the multilayer films. UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy verified a linear build-up of the multilayers of APES and SPES on the surface of Nafion. Thin multilayer films deposited on the Nafion membrane enabled methanol permeability of the membrane to decrease by 78% in comparison with the pristine Nafion. The performance of DMFCs in concentrated methanol was highly enhanced by using the multilayer modified Nafion.

• 한국재료학회지
• /
• 제25권3호
• /
• pp.113-118
• /
• 2015

To improve the methanol electro-oxidation in direct methanol fuel cells(DMFCs), Pt electrocatalysts embedded on porous carbon nanofibers(CNFs) were synthesized by electrospinning followed by a reduction method. To fabricate the porous CNFs, we prepared three types of porous CNFs using three different amount of a styrene-co-acrylonitrile(SAN) polymer: 0.2 wt%, 0.5 wt%, and 1 wt%, respectively. A SAN polymer, which provides vacant spaces in porous CNFs, was decomposed and burn out during the carbonization. The structure and morphology of the samples were examined using field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy and their surface area were measured using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET). The crystallinities and chemical compositions of the samples were examined using X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrochemical properties on the methanol electro-oxidation were characterized using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Pt electrocatalysts embedded on porous CNFs containing 0.5 wt% SAN polymer exhibited the improved methanol oxidation and electrocatalytic stability compared to Pt/conventional CNFs and commercial Pt/C(40 wt% Pt on Vulcan carbon, E-TEK).