Membraneless Microchannel Fuel Cells

Following the ARMY03-T10 RFA, it is the goal of INI Power Systems to design, construct and characterize a microchannel-based fuel cell that is capable of producing a 1W power output for this Phase I STTR.Extensive prior work by our academic subcontractor at the University of Illinois on the very type of membraneless fuel cells called for in the RFA has identified the two key issues that need to be addressed to render membraneless fuel cell technology apotential commercially viable power source: (1) the cathode performance being limited by the low solubility of oxygen in water and (2) the low fuel utilization due to the formation of depletion boundary layers.We plan to eliminate these limitations of the single membraneless fuel cell unit by adjustments in the cell design and in the fuel, oxidant and catalyst formulation. Subsequently, multiple cells will be integrated into a stack with common fuel and oxidantfeeds in order to create a membraneless fuel cell-based 1W power source. Finally, based on the outcomes of this study, we will propose a vialble design of a membraneless fuel cell based power source capable of producing an output of 10 Watt, the proposedobjective for Phase II. The development of the membrane free fuel cell could catapult direct liquid fuel cells to the forefront of portable power applications. In so doing creating a longer life, environmentally friendly alternative to rechargeable batteries.