Performance characteristics of a H₂O₂-based fuel cell under extreme environments

Abstract

In recent decades, the liquid fuel cell has attracted considerable interest due to its inherent advantages, including simple design, almost instantaneous rechargeability, and high energy density. However, despite these merits, hampered by the slow reaction kinetics of alcoholic liquid fuels, their cell performances remain inadequate, even with the assistance of noble metal catalysts. As an alternative, a novel electrically rechargeable liquid fuel (e-fuel) has recently been proposed and is found to exhibit a significantly improved cell performance presenting it with great potential for widespread use. Nevertheless, before realizing its commercialization, it is a prerequisite for the fuel cell to be operational under extreme conditions, such as an air-free and low-temperature environment. In this work, fed with e-fuel and hydrogen peroxide, a passive fuel cell is designed and fabricated. The impacts of the operating temperature on the properties of cell components are studied, while the effects of diverse operating conditions on the cell performance are investigated. The cell is found to be capable of reaching a peak power density of 31.7 mW cm–2 even at −20 °C without any cold-start strategies. Furthermore, it has also been proven capable of achieving stable operation without auxiliary equipment. This impressive performance, especially under extreme operating conditions, demonstrates the remarkable potential of this present system for applications in the future.