Assessment of direct glycerol alkaline fuel cell based on Au/C catalyst and microporous membrane

The use of a microporous membrane along with Au/C catalyst for direct glycerol alkaline fuel cell was investigated. In comparison with Nafion 112, the microporous Celgard 3401 membrane provides a better cell performance due to the lower ionic resistance as confirmed by impedance spectra. The single cell using Au/C as anode catalyst prepared by using PVA protection techniques provided a higher maximum power density than the single cell with commercial PtRu/C at 18.65 mW cm-2. The short-term current decay studies show a better stability of Au/C single cell. The higher activity of Au/C over PtRu/C was owing to the lower activation loss of Au/C. The magnitude of current decay indicates a low problem of glycerol crossover from anode to cathode side. The similar performance of single cell with and without humudification at cathode points out an adequate transport of water through the microporous membrane.