Direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs) are a type of electrochemical energy conversion device that directly Convert the chemical energy stored in a liquid alcohol fuel, commonly methanol and ethanol, and also ethylene glycol, or npropanol, to electricity. Because of their simplicity, high energy density, instantaneous recharging, and presumably long life, DAFCs have been identified as the most promi...

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Sulfonic acid-functionalized polymer electrolyte membranes alternative to Nafion(®) were developed. These were hydrocarbon systems, such as blend sulfonated polyetheretherketone (s-PEEK), new generation perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) systems, and composite zirconium phosphate-PFSA polymers. The membranes varied in terms of composition, equivalent weight, thickness, and filler and were investigat...

Fuel flexibility is a significant advantage of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and can be attributed to their high operating temperature. Here we consider a direct internal reforming solid oxide fuel cell setup in which a separate fuel reformer is not required. We construct a multidimensional, detailed model of a planar solid oxide fuel cell, where mass transport in the fuel channel is modeled u...