A MEMBRANE BREATHER FOR MICRO FUEL CELL WITH HIGH CONCENTRATION METHANOL

This paper introduces a breather for micro direct methanol fuel cell (µDMFC) that removes the gas byproduct (CO2) from aqueous methanol fuel. The proposed breather aims to improve the efficiency of a fuel cell by preventing excessive accumulation of gas bubbles in the microchannel where the liquid fuel flows. The release of gas bubbles is visually demonstrated by developing a micro-breather, which integrates microchannels, nano-porous hydrophobic membrane, and an on-chip bubble intake mechanism. The breather achieves successful gas separation from methanol fuel with a concentration as high as 10M and with pressure tolerance as high as 35psi without leakage, fulfilling the requirement of the next-generation µDMFC. This breathing scheme can be useful for other microfluidic applications, where bubbles need to be eliminated from the system