Characterization of direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) fabricated with porous SiC ceramic membrane

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The present research is to develop a porous ceramic membrane as an important part in direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) application using silicon carbide material. The objective of this research is to optimize the core technology of the porous ceramic membrane to substitute the present polymer membrane and synthesize the constituent material of the DEFC. This research is to produce the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) using silicon carbide (SiC) membrane, catalyst, anode and cathode and characterize the efficiency and durability of DEFC system. The SiC ceramic membrane was fabricated by mixing starting materials, SiC powder and silicon resin and then heating at 1000℃. This ceramic membrane has porosity of about 20% and pore size distribution of approximately 1~5㎛ for relatively low ethanol crossover and high efficiency of direct ethanol fuel cell. In our first experiment, the DEFC stack assembled with very dense ceramic membrane showed only voltage fluctuation without some electrical current.

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Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 1, Nanotechnology 2011: Advanced Materials, CNTs, Particles, Films and Composites
Published: June 13, 2011
Pages: 799 - 802
Industry sectors: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing | Energy & Sustainability
Topic: Sustainable Materials
ISBN: 978-1-4398-7142-3