FUEL CELL CATALYST FOR DIRECT OXIDATION OF METHANOL

BASED ON RECENTLY GENERATED NEW EXPERIMENTAL KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE ELECTROCHEMICAL OXIDATION OF METHANOL, WE PROPOSE TO PREPARE INNOVATIVE HIGH SURFACE AREA CARBON SUPPORTED ALLOY ELECTROCATALYSTS WITH CONTROLLED CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC SURFACES. THESE PREPARED MATERIALS WILL BE CHARATERIZED WITH RESPECT TO PARTICLE SIZE, SHAPE, CRYSTAL STRUCTURE, AND SURFACE COMPOSITION USING TEM, XRD, AND EXAFS.ELECTROCHEMICAL EVALUATION WILL BE DONE WITH CYCLIC VOLTAMMETRY, ROTATING DISC ELECTRODE, AND IN-SITU EXAFS TECHNIQUES. ANALYSIS OF THIS DATA WILL YIELD INFORMATION REGARDING THE KINETICS AND MECHANISM OF METHANOL OXIDATION AS WELL AS PROJECTED PERFORMANCE OF A DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELL. THE EXPECTED IMPROVEMENT OF THESE INNOVATIVE CATALYSTS IS 500 TO 600 MV IN ANODE PERFORMANCE AND WOULD LEAD TO A VIABLE DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELL. ANTICIPATED BENEFITS/POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS - THE SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELECTROCATALYST WITH HIGH ACTIVITY AND STABILITY FOR METHANOL OXIDATION WOULD LEAD TO DIRECT METHANOL-AIR FUEL CELL POWER SOURCES. THE MAJOR ADVANTAGES OF THESE FUEL CELLS ARE 1) OPERATION ON NON-PETROLEUM DOMESTIC FUELS, AND 2) "CLEAN" AND EFFICIENT OPERATION. AN IMPORTANT COMMERCIAL APPLICATION OF THE DIRECT METHANOL-AIR FUEL CELL IS IN THE AREA OF ELECTRIC POWERED VEHICLES. IMPORTANT MILITARY APPLICATIONS INCLUDE SUBMARINES, SPACE PLATFORMS, AND UNMANNED UNDERWATER VEHICLES.