Direct NaBH4/H2O2 fuel cells

Abstract

A fuel cell (FC) using liquid fuel and oxidizer is under investigation. H2O2 is used in this FC directly at the cathode. Either of two types of reactant, namely a gas-phase hydrogen or an aqueous NaBH4 solution, are utilized as fuel at the anode. Experiments demonstrate that the direct utilization of H2O2 and NaBH4 at the electrodes results in >30% higher voltage output compared to the ordinary H2/O2 FC. Further, the use of this combination of all liquid fuels, provides numerous advantages (ease of storage, reduced pumping requirements, simplified heat removal, etc.) from an operational point of view. This design is inherently compact compared to other cells that use gas phase reactants. Further, regeneration is possible using an electrical input, e.g. from power lines or a solar panel. While the peroxide-based FC is ideally suited for applications such as space power where air is not available and a high energy density fuel is essential, other distributed and mobile power uses are of interest. © 2006.