Effect of the metal foam materials on the performance of methanol steam micro-reformer for fuel cells

A methanol steam micro-reformer was constructed to produce hydrogen (H2) for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), in which a Cu/Zn/Al/Zr catalyst was supported on metal foams. To optimize the performance of the micro-reformer, the effect of metal foams on the catalytic property was investigated in details, including catalytic activity, carbon monoxide (CO) selectivity and mechanical properties. It was found that the strong interaction between the Ni or FeCrAl metal foams and catalyst resulted in the low activity for water gas shift (WGS) reaction, therefore, increased the CO selectivity significantly. As a general principle, it was proposed that the metal materials poisoning or reducing the reforming activity should be excluded in the design of micro-reformers.

Graphical abstractHydrogen production has been achieved in a laminated metal foam based micro-reformer for fuel cells. The strong interaction between the Ni and FeCrAl metal foams and catalyst results in the low activity for water gas shift reaction, therefore, increases the CO selectivity significantly. The optimal material for the fabrication of micro-reformer is CuZn foam. Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide