Alcohol Fuel Cells at Optimal Temperatures

High-power-density alcohol fuel cells can relieve many of the daunting challenges facing a hydrogen energy economy. Here, such fuel cells are achieved using CsH2PO4 as the electrolyte and integrating into the anode chamber a Cu-ZnO/Al2O3 methanol steam-reforming catalyst. The temperature of operation, 250°C, is matched both to the optimal value for fuel cell power output and for reforming. Peak power densities using methanol and ethanol were 226 and 100 mW/cm2, respectively. The high power output 305 mW/cm2 obtained from reformate fuel containing 1% CO demonstrates the potential of this approach with optimized reforming catalysts and also the tolerance to CO poisoning at these elevated temperatures. © 2006 The Electrochemical Society. DOI: 10.1149/1.2188069 All rights reserved.