Boosting the Power-Generation Performance of Micro-Sized Al-H 2 O 2 Fuel Cells by Using Silver Nanowires as the Cathode

Heng Zhang, Yang Yang, Tianyu Liu and Honglong Chang
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Heng Zhang: Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Systems for Aerospace, School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Yang Yang: Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Systems for Aerospace, School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Tianyu Liu: Department of Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
Honglong Chang: Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Systems for Aerospace, School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-10

Abstract: Micro-sized fuel cells represent one of the pollution-free devices available to power portable electronics. However, the insufficient power output limits the possibility of micro-sized fuel cells competing with other power sources, including supercapacitors and lithium batteries. In this study, a novel aluminum-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell is fabricated using uniform silver nanowires with diameters of 0.25 µm as the catalyst at the cathode side. The Ag nanowire solution is prepared via a polyol method, and mixed uniformly with Nafion and ethanol to enhance the adhesion of Ag nanowires. We carry out electrochemical tests, including cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and Tafel polarization, to characterize the performance of this catalyst in H 2 O 2 reduction. The Ag nanowires exhibit a high effectiveness and durability while catalyzing the reduction of H 2 O 2 with a low impedance. The micro-sized Al-H 2 O 2 fuel cell equipped with Ag nanowires delivers a power density of 43 W·m −2 under a low concentration of H 2 O 2 (0.1 M), which is substantially higher than the previously reported devices.

Keywords: micro-sized fuel cells; hydrogen peroxide; catalysts; silver nanowires (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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