FUEL CELLS – DIRECT ALCOHOL FUEL CELLS | Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells: Catalysts

There is presently great interest in direct alcohol fuel cells, particularly in the direct methanol fuel cell (DEFC), which has several advantages over the more developed direct methanol fuel cell. Carbon-supported platinum is commonly used as anode catalyst in low-temperature fuel cells. However, pure Pt is not the most efficient anode catalyst for the DEFC because its surface is rapidly poisoned by strongly adsorbed species coming from the dissociative adsorption of ethanol. Indeed, the electrooxidation of a partially oxygenated organic molecule, such as a primary alcohol, can be performed only with a multifunctional electrocatalyst. This article presents an overview of catalysts investigated as materials for DEFCs, with particular attention on the relationship between the chemical and physical characteristics of the catalysts (catalyst composition, degree of alloying, and presence of oxides) and their activity for the ethanol oxidation reaction.