Developement of passive liquid fuel cell

Abstract

Fuel Cell is a kind of electrochemical devices that convert chemical energy from fuels into electrical energy directly. Recently, developments in wireless and portable communication devices including laptop computers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) have encountered the need for high energy density power sources for consumer use. However, the lithium-based battery or other rechargeable battery can’t meet the requirement of high power and long lifespan. DMFC, as the most promising candidate, attract the world’s attention because of many advantages, such as greater power density due to the use of liquid methanol, longer runtime owing to the larger capacity, instant recharging by injecting methanol and lower weight compared with conventional batteries, as well as simpler and more compact structure. Comparing to active DMFC stack, passive DMFC possesses even simpler and more compact structure because there is no any other luxurious accessories, such as pump to transfer fuel, blower or compressor to supply air or oxygen.