Influence of Mesh Size and Cell Set Pressure on Performance of a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell with Metal Wire Structure Flow Fields for Even Supply of Reactants

Abstract

In the previous research, the performance of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) with porous metal flow fields that supply reactants to whole surface of electrodes is improved compared to that with straight groove flow fields. This current paper describes the investigation on the performance of DMFC employing a flow field made with metal wire structure that also supplies reactants to whole electrodes. By applying carbon coat to the surface of metal wire structure, the performance is improved and shows 0.109 W/cm² that exceeds with the standard cell that has serpentine groove graphite flow field developed by JARI.