Abstract
This work reports on the synthesis and application of a novel, cost-effective and environmentally friendly agar chemical hydrogel (ACH) electrode binder in fuel-electrolyte-fed fuel cells. The ACH is synthesized by a chemical cross-linking reaction between agar and glutaraldehyde with acetic acid as a catalyst. The fuel cell performance characterization demonstrates that the use of the ACH-based electrode in a fuel-electrolyte-fed fuel cell enables an improvement in cell performance as opposed to the use of conventional Nafion ionomer-based electrodes. The improved performance can be mainly attributed to the enhanced mass/charge transport rendered by the hydrophilic nature and water retention characteristic of agar. This work suggests that the cost-effective ACH binder can replace conventional Nafion ionomers for fuel-electrolyte-fed fuel cells.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 67-71 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Applied Energy |
Volume | 109 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Agar chemical hydrogel
- Alkaline-acid direct ethanol fuel cell
- Electrode binder
- Fuel cell
- Fuel-electrolyte-fed fuel cell
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Civil and Structural Engineering
- Energy(all)