New concept of fuel cell for efficiency and environment
January 5^th, 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.”

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Notes for editors

• References

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.