Membrane Can Help Boost Fuel Cell Power

fuelcell_membrane.jpgAn MIT professor developed a special membrane that could boost methanol fuel cells' power. It looks just like any ordinary membrane, a Saran wrap even according to Technology Review, but it can provide a significant increase in output. Methanol fuel cells have membranes to separate compartments. When producing power, the protons that come from methanol after catalysis pass through the membrane and combine with oxygen to form the water byproduct. The electrons can't pass through though, and remain on the other side and forced onto wires to generate energy. Hence, the more protons that get dissociated, the more electrons there will be to produce energy. Unfortunately, the best proton conductors have tendency to let methanol molecules through.

According to Paula Hammond, the MIT professor who conducted the study, the new fuel cell membrane could result in a 50 percent increase in efficiency while reducing the membrane's tendency to let methane permeate. Plus, the manufacturing process is inexpensive. During the beginning of the research, the scientists merely altered a piece of Nafion which is a Dupont-manufactured polymer. Ultimately thought, the scientists aim to produce one from scratch using a layer-by-layer assembly technique. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to make one that can perform as well as the modified Nafion yet but according Hammond believes they're "very close" to achieving their goal.

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