Carbon nanotube-based double-layer microporous cathode for micro-direct methanol fuel cell

The micro-direct methanol fuel cell (μDMFC) has the advantages of high energy density, high conversion efficiency, and simple structure, which brought vast application prospects in portable devices. However, some shortcomings still exist, such as low catalyst utilization and power density. This paper proposes a new cathode electrode structure for the μDMFC. The structure consists of a multi-walled carbon nanotube layer and a cathode double microporous layer (CD-MPL) prepared from carbon powder. The outer microporous layer (OMPL) is composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), Nafion solution, and carbon powder, and the inner microporous layer (IMPL) is composed of carbon powder and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The experimental results show that the maximum power density of the μDMFC with a CD-MPL (CD-μDMFC) is 42.8 mW/cm2, which is 31.6% higher than that of the μDMFC with a cathode single microporous layer (CS-μDMFC). The pore size distribution of the OMPL of the CNT is measured by the mercury intrusion method. It can be seen that the distribution of pore size is wider and there are more pores with larger pore sizes, which are more conducive to the utilization of catalysts. The discharge experiment of the cell shows that the CD-μDMFC shows high discharge performance and fuel utilization at different concentrations. The double microporous layer (MPL) structure increases the porosity and pore range, broadens the three-phase interface for the reaction, and allows the catalyst to have more attachment sites. The existence of MWCNTs improves the conductivity and mass transfer capacity of the cathode.