New
concept of fuel cell for efficiency and environment January
5th,
2015
It
grasps both performance efficiency and removal of toxic heavy metal
ions in direct methanol fuel cells
The
Center for Nanoparticle Research at the Institute for Basic Science
(IBS) has succeeded in proposing a new method to enhance fuel cell
efficiency with the simultaneous removal of toxic heavy metal ions.
The
direct methanol fuel cell (DFMC) has been a promising energy
conversion device for electrical vehicles and portable devices.
However, the inevitable Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is one of the
main factors reducing its performance. Furthermore, the hexavalent
chromium (Cr (VI)) also present, is a harmfully toxic, carcinogenic
heavy metal in the aquatic environment.
The
research team applied the Cr (VI) as a type of “CO scavenger” to
the DMFC. Their new method not only uses the redox process to clean
the platinum electrode surface by transforming CO into CO2
,
but also allows for the Cr (VI) to convert into Cr (III), which is a
much less toxic oxidation state and even a micronutrient. As a
result, the potential maintained a nearly constant value of up to 10
hours and the presence of Cr (VI) was completely absent. Moreover, it
enhances the maximum power density by 20% at 70℃.
“Fuel
cells have presented obstacles such as low performance and CO
poisoning which have prevented them from becoming possible, next
generation energy sources until now,” explains Professor Yung-Eun
Sung, both a group leader of the Center for Nanoparticle Research at
IBS and the professor of the School
of Chemical and Biological Engineering
at the Seoul National University. “This new hybrid fuel cell
technology is expected to propel the deployment of direct methanol
fuel cells.”
###
Notes
for editors
Dong
Young Chung, Hyoung-il Kim, Young-Hoon Chung, Myeong Jae Lee, Sung
Jong Yoo, Alok D. Bokare and Wonyong Choi, Yung-Eun Sung (2014).
Inhibition of CO poisoning on Pt catalyst coupled with the reduction
of toxic
hexavalent
chromium in a dual-functional fuel cell. Scientific
Reports,
4, 7450, doi:
10.1038/srep07450 (http://www.nature.com/srep/2014/141212/srep07450/full/srep07450.html)
For
further information or to request media assistance, please contact:
Ms. Soyeon Yoon, School of Chemical and Biological Engineering,
Seoul National University(+82-2-880-7409; syyoon@snu.ac.kr)
or Mr. Han Bin Oh, Overseas Public Relations Officer, IBS Public
Relations Team (+82-42-878-8182; ohanvin@ibs.re.kr)
About
Institute for Basic Science (IBS) The IBS was founded in 2011 by
the government of the Republic of Korea. With the sole purpose of
driving forward the development of basic science in Korea, IBS will
be comprised of a total of 50 research centers in all fields of
basic science, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, life
science, earth science and interdisciplinary science. IBS has
launched 24 research centers as of December 2014. There is one
mathematics, eight physics, seven chemistry, seven life science, and
an interdisciplinary research centers each.
|