ABSTRACT
Crude oil-based gasoline fuels have been widely used in the transportation sector since the 1920s. However, there have been great public concerns over the adverse environmental impact of these fuels. Hence, biomass-based bioethanol fuels have increasingly been used in blending gasoline fuels and in fuel cells. In the meantime, research in nanotechnology has intensified in recent years. Research in fuel cells has also intensified in recent years in three primary research streams: solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), polymer electrode membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), and microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Research in direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) has been a stream of the research on PEMFCs. On the other hand, the research on the direct utilization of bioethanol fuels in these DEFCs has intensified in recent years, primarily in the research fronts of ethanol electrooxidation on platinum (Pt) electrocatalysts and on palladium (Pd) electrocatalysts for DEFCs. Other research fronts are ethanol electrooxidation on both Pt and Pd electrocatalysts and on other electrocatalysts, other issues in ethanol electrooxidation, and the DEFCs themselves. Further, the recent research focus has been on the development of nanomaterial-based electrocatalyst systems to improve the efficiency of DEFCs. However, it is essential to develop efficient incentive structures for the primary stakeholders to enhance the research in this field. Although there have been a number of review papers on bioethanol fuel cells, there has been no review of the 25 most-cited articles in this field. This chapter presents a review of the 25 most-cited articles in the field of bioethanol fuel cells. Then, it discusses the key findings of these highly influential papers and comments on future research priorities in this field.
