Portable 20 W DMFC using mixed reactants

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are leading candidates for providing power to the individual soldier. Current generation DMFCs require relatively complex balance-of-plant systems to operate efficiently on pure methanol. A new approach to DMFCs developed by Mesoscopic Devices will enable high specific-energy DMFCs to be built using a simplified system architecture. The simplified design utilizes a very compact stack using mixed fuel and air. The mixed-reactant approach allows very small cell pitches, leading to high power-density stacks. Combining these high-power-density stacks with advanced balance-of-plant components yields a portable DMFC system with higher performance and lower cost than conventional approaches. In Phase I, Mesoscopic Devices demonstrated the feasibility of the mixed-reactant stack. In Phase II, we will develop higher-performance selective catalysts, develop techniques to use these catalysts in high performance MEAs and stacks, develop optimized balance-of-plant components, and deliver a complete 20 W prototype generator.