dmfc technology
 


DMFC MEMBRANE

In 2003, PolyFuel introduced what is now becoming widely acknowledged as the “best” membrane available for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). PolyFuel’s DMFC membrane will allow manufacturers of portable fuel cells for mobile electronic applications to produce the smallest, lightest, lowest cost, and longest lasting portable power supplies possible.

PolyFuel’s DMFC membrane is in pilot projects throughout the world, and every serious player in the fuel cell market has either already adopted or is actively evaluating the membrane.

Portable fuel cell system developers want a fuel cell that is small, light, quiet, long
portable fuel cell
Portable Fuel Cell Systems Requirements
running, durable and low cost. High water flux increases the amount of water that must be managed by the fuel cell, increasing system size, weight, cost and complexity. High methanol crossover results in lower fuel efficiency and shorter runtimes for a given amount of fuel. It also further increases the size, weight, cost and complexity of the system in order to handle the excess heat and water that is produced as the methanol is oxidized on the air side of the fuel cell.

PolyFuel listened to the developers of portable fuel cell systems and engineered a DMFC membrane specifically to meet their critical requirements. The resultant PolyFuel DMFC membrane for the first time allows portable fuel cells to deliver exceptionally long run times while simultaneously being small, light, inexpensive, and robust.

PolyFuel’s DMFC membrane was engineered to have the following characteristics and benefits.

  • 1/2 the amount of water flux compared to equivalently—performing fluorocarbon membranes. This allows portable fuel cell systems based upon the PolyFuel DMFC membrane to be smaller, lighter, and less expensive.


  • Robust in the presence of methanol, resulting in only 1/3rd of the methanol crossover of fluorocarbon membranes at the same output level. This allows portable fuel cell systems based upon the PolyFuel DMFC membrane to be smaller, lighter, less expensive, as well as longer running.
portable fuel cells

Longer running turns out to be a substantial benefit. A portable fuel cell built around the PolyFuel DMFC membrane can run 30% to 35% longer than a system built with an equivalently performing fluorocarbon membrane.

PolyFuel’s DMFC membrane breakthroughs allow portable fuel cell system builders to achieve substantial improvements over what was previously believed possible.