Direct peroxide–peroxide fuel cell – Part 2: Effects of conditions on the performance

A high performance direct peroxide–peroxide fuel cell using dendritic Pd supported on carbon fiber cloth as both the anode and the cathode is reported. Effects of the concentration of H2O2, KOH, H2SO4, the operating temperature and the flow rate on the fuel cell performance are investigated. The cell exhibits a much higher performance than those reported in the literature. The open circuit voltage reaches 0.9 V and the peak power density is as high as 14.3 and 58.4 mW cm−2 at 20 °C and 60 °C, respectively, when running on 4.0 mol L−1 KOH + 1.0 mol L−1 H2O2 as the fuel and 2.0 mol L−1 H2SO4 + 2.0 mol L−1 H2O2 as the oxidant, both at a flow rate of 10 mL min−1.

► A high performance direct peroxide–peroxide fuel cell (DPPFC) is demonstrated.
► The Pd/CFC electrode is a good catalyst for the anode and cathode reactions.
► The DPPFC displays a peak power density of 14.3 mW cm−2 at 20 °C.