Effect of air supply on the performance of an active direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) fed with neat methanol

Unlike the situation in the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) fed with dilute liquid methanol solution, the required water in anode for a DMFC fed with neat methanol is entirely transported from cathode. In this study, the water concentration in anode catalyst layer of such a DMFC operating with fully active mode is theoretically analyzed, followed by the experimental investigations on the effects of air flow rate and operating temperature on cell performance. The results revealed that the air flow rate has a strong impact on cell performance, especially at larger current density. Overmuch air causes rapid decline of cell performance, which results from the dehydration of membrane and lack of water in the anode reaction sites. Raising temperature induces faster reaction kinetics, while undesired stronger water dissipation from the DMFC. In practice, the stable cell resistance can be used as a criterion to help the DMFC to achieve a high and sustainable performance by finely combining the air flow rate and operating temperature.