This paper presents our recent effort on application of nanoimprint technology into passive MEMS-based direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) for chip-scale power-embedded system. We fabricated and characterized five kinds of micro DMFC with different nanoimprint pattern and catalyst layers. It was found that the measured fuel cell performance varied with the nanoimprinted patterns because they affec...

We report the photoelectrochemical (PEC) oxidation of methanol on a rationally designed graphene-TiO2 nanorod array (G-TNR) photoanode. A PEC methanol fuel cell was constructed by coupling the G-TNR photoanode with a cathode. This study raises a conceptual fuel cell that realizes the synergistic energy conversion of chemical energy and solar energy.

For the last decade, dimethyl ether (DME) has been considered a promising alternative fuel for direct fuel cells because of several advantages over methanol. In this work, PtRu catalysts with a wide range of Pt-to-Ru ratios were screened for the direct DME fuel cell (DDMEFC) performance for the first time. Overall, Pt50Ru50 performs best in the high and middle voltage ranges, whereas Pt80Ru20 p...

Methanol crossover (MCO) significantly affects the performance of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). In order to reduce its effect, this study presents in-house carbon nanofiber webs (CNWs) used as a porous methanol barrier for MCO control in a passive DMFC. The CNW is made from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) by using electrospinning and heat treatment. The impacts of PAN concentration and carbonizin...