Département de chimie moléculaire

Simple and highly efficient glucose fuel cells using abiotic catalysts and different ion exchange membranes were designed. The glucose fuel cells are based on a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-supported cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) cathode and a carbon black/platinum (C/Pt) anode. The electrocatalytic activity of the MWCNT/CoPc electrode for oxygen redn. was investigated by cyclic and linear sweep voltammetry. The electrochem. expts. show that CoPc exhibits promising catalytic properties for oxygen redn. due to its high overpotential and efficiency at reduced metal load. The MWCNT/CoPc electrodes were applied to the oxygen redn. reaction as air-breathing cathode in a single-chambered glucose fuel cell. This cathode was assocd. with a C/Pt anode in fuel cell configurations using either an anion (Nafion) or a cation (Tokuyama) exchange membrane. The best fuel cell configuration delivered a max. power d. of 2.3 mW cm-2 and a cell voltage of 0.8 V in 0.5 M KOH soln. contg. 0.5 M glucose using the Tokuyama membrane at ambient conditions. Beside the highest power d. per cathodic catalyst mass (383 W g-1), these glucose fuel cells exhibit a high operational stability, delivering 0.3 mW cm-2 after 50 days. [on SciFinder(R)]