Fuel Cells - Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells | New Materials

An introduction to the direct alcohol fuel cell (DAFC) and new materials needed for DAFCs are presented in this article. The topics covered include what DAFCs are, how they are made, how they work, and what new materials research that is being carried out with electrocatalysts, electrolytes and electrodes to address the challenges involved in making a practical DAFC. Particular emphasis is given to discussion of the particular DAFC that uses methanol, the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), because the DMFC is the closest DAFC to being practical since methanol is the most easily electrooxidizable alcohol.