Improved air supply method to increase power density of a zigzag-type DMFC

Abstract

The power consumption of portable devices such as smartphones and notebook PCs has increased in recent years. Therefore, these devices require a high energy density power supply. Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), for which the theoretical energy density is 10 or more times greater than that of current lithium ion batteries, are expected to be the future power sources for such devices. We have previously proposed a zigzag-type DMFC that is suitable for mass production, because it does not require complicated separators, unlike the conventional stack-type DMFC. We propose an air-supply method that has an air-flow path based on semi-active air supply conditions.

Semi-activate supplies of zigzag-type DMFCs with the channel paths

“…This approach led to an improved output power compared to the previous active air supply method without increasing the number of components. In addition, a uniform output power at all points of the cell, such as the top and bottom, was successfully achieved [5,6]. In the present study, the effectiveness of this method was investigated for multiple cells.…”

“…To overcome the problems with the previous active air supply method, the use of an air flow channel was investigated [5,6]. Fig.…”