DMFC MEA and stack development

The aim of the project is to develop the next generation DMFC (Direct Methanol Fuel Cell) fuel cell unit, in order to fulfill the target values listed in the Danish National 'Road Map' for year 2006 and 2008. Results gained with the present state-of-art DMFC MEA's and stacks has shown that power density is depended on internal and external operating conditions, and as a consequence hereof the choice and integration of system components has to be careful adjusted to the accompanying stack design. Development of the next generation MEA with improved power density, optimized flow plates designed and prepared for molding and a stack design with integrated components with long life-time is essential to achieve cost reduction on stack and system. Another project goal is to develop a concept to maintain its integrity when outdoor temperatures are below 0 deg. C and investigate the impact on MEA and cell lifetime. Focus in the applied project will be on development of MEA's, study the effect of various operational conditions on the durability and to develop a DMFC module in the power range 0.1-1kW for application in a broad range of products using batteries, and petrol- or diesel-fuelled generators. The DMFC module will be tested for both uninterrupted power supply and as power generator for internal transport application etc. The work will be based on results obtained in earlier projects funded by EFP, PSO and EU