Passive Direct Methanol–Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cell with Reduced Graphene Oxide–Supported Prussian Blue as Catalyst

Abstract

Herein, a reduced graphene oxide–supported Prussian Blue (rGO‐PB) composite as the cathode catalyst for a passive direct methanol–hydrogen peroxide fuel cell (DMHPFC) is used. Unlike the conventional passive direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) with a cathodic catalyst of noble metal platinum (Pt), the new fuel cell uses hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant. This nonnoble metal catalyst has a low cost, high catalytic activity, and high conductivity due to its 3D conductive network. The fuel cell has a theoretical voltage of 1.76 V (higher than 1.21 V related to the traditional DMFC) and can be used in an oxygen‐free environment. Results show that the cell shows good performance with a peak power density of 20.5 mW cm −2 at a higher temperature of 85 °C. The polarization and impedance curves indicate that as the temperature increases, the cell performance improves continuously with the decrease in mass transfer resistance. The discharging tests show a stable cell performance under continuous operation. The cell voltage has an instant response to the change in the current output.