Research on the performance of tubular cathode for direct ethanol fuel cell

Abstract

Through the gel-casting process, the tubular cathode for direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) is prepared using the mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB) and graphite as the main raw materials. According to the tubular cathode’s physical performance and electrical property tests, the performance of cathode tube is studied at different graphite proportions. As shown by the results of strength test, the strength of cathode tube is better with a graphite ratio from 0 to 40%. It can be found that the linear and volumetric shrinkage of tubular cathode support will decrease with the increment of the graphite content. As displayed by the electrical property tests, the charge transmission ability is extremely close when the graphite surpasses 30%. With 40% of graphite doping ratio, the electrode electrochemical reaction will be reinforced when the temperature gets higher. In the meanwhile, the electricity capacity will be higher when the air flow rate is 100 mL min^–1.