Performance Study of Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells Employing Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel Membrane and Nickel‐Based Anode

Abstract

A direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC) employing a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel membrane and a nickel‐based composite anode is reported. Carbon‐supported platinum and sputtered gold have been employed as cathode catalysts. Oxygen, air and acidified hydrogen peroxide have been used as oxidants in the DBFC. Performance of the PVA hydrogel membrane‐based DBFC was tested at different temperatures and compared with similar DBFCs employing Nafion® membrane electrolytes under identical conditions. The borohydride–oxygen fuel cell employing PVA hydrogel membrane yielded a maximum peak power density of 242 mW cm–2 at 60 °C. The peak power densities of the PVA hydrogel membrane‐based DBFCs were comparable or a little higher than those using Nafion® 212 membranes at 60 °C. The fuel efficiency of borohydride–oxygen fuel cell based on PVA hydrogel membrane and Ni‐based composite anode was found to be between 32 and 41%. The cell was operated for more than 100 h and its performance stability was recorded.

A Development in Direct Borohydride/Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cell Using Nanostructured Ni‐Pt/C Anode

“…Table presents some representative power performance data of DBHPFCs in recent years , , . Comparing with the data shown in the table with the results obtained in this work, one can conclude that it is possible to achieve high power performance using non‐precious anode catalysts at relatively low catalyst loading.…”

Developments in direct borohydride fuel cells and remaining challenges

“…The latter membrane mitigates the crossover of BH 4 À [71]. The noncommercial membrane polyethylenetetrafluoroethylene (ETFE-g-PSSA) increases the power density and the peak current of the fuel cell but simultaneously decreases the open circuit potential difference [72,73]; this is not necessarily a problem if the peak power density increases. Membrane-less DBFCs will be a viable option if an appropriate cathode catalyst, i.e., one that is not active towards borohydride oxidation, can be found.…”

“…The open circuit potential, nevertheless, was found to be higher when a Nafion membrane was used [72]. Ma et al [73] recently reported the use of a 200 mm polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel membrane (PAHM) in a DBFC with a NiePt/C anode and a gold sputtered cathode using oxygen, humid air and hydrogen peroxide as oxidants. They compared their results with the equivalent experiment using a Nafion 212 membrane, and obtained lower power densities with the PAHM membranes: 218 mW cm À2 for Nafion 212 and 176 mW cm À2 for the PAHM membrane, respectively (at 60 C), probably due to a higher crossover rate.…”

High-Performance and Recyclable Al-Air Coin Cells Based on Eco-friendly Chitosan Hydrogel Membranes

“…However, the high cost of Nafion can be an obstacle for the realization of affordable Al-air batteries. Therefore, developing effective and low-cost polymer materials as separators for aqueous batteries is highly desired. , …”