Hydrazine/air direct-liquid fuel cell based on nanostructured copper anodes

Fuel cells (FCs) are promising electrochemical devices that convert the chemical energy of fuels directly into electrical energy, as long as the fuel is supplied.This paper describes a room-temperature hydrazine/air direct-liquid fuel cell (DLFC) based on the use of nanostructured copper electrodes. We show that nanostructured copper electrodes function as highly efficient and ultra-long-lasting catalyst for the electro-oxidation of hydrazine. Our Cu/hydrazine anodes show high electrical efficiency for long periods of continuous operation (more than 500 h).A hydrazine/air fuel cell prototype was built with a nanostructured Cu/hydrazine anode, combined with a commercial air cathode. The output of this cell is about 0.45 W at 1 A (0.1 A cm−2 corresponds to the anode area), and supplies about 2.3 Wh and 1300 Wh kg−1 hydrazine. The hydrazine discharge efficiency is higher than 85%.

► Nano-copper/hydrazine fuel cell. ► Long lasting fuel cell anodes. ► Highly efficient fuel cells. ► Low-cost fuel cell materials. ► Room-temperature fuel cell devices.