抄録
The formation of byproducts such as formic acid and formaldehyde in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) with various anode catalysts is investigated through the quantitative analysis of the outflow fuel from anode using a high-performance liquid chromatograph and an ion chromatograph. The catalysts used are the alloy of platinum and ruthenium on carbon black. It is found that the byproducts are formed even when the fuel passes through the DMFC at open circuit voltage. The amount of byproducts is increased with the current density. Furthermore, the diameter of alloy particles is decreased from 6nm to 4nm by reducing the loading level from 54wt% to 33wt%. The use of finer alloy particles as the anode catalyst not only increases the power density of DMFC, but also suppresses the formation of formaldehyde at the anode.
