ABSTRACT
In the past two decades, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), including direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), have been demonstrated to be feasible for a large variety of technical areas, such as portable devices, automotive, and stationary power systems. However, their commercial applications have been limited by their high cost and insufcient durability. In particular, DMFCs using liquid methanol rather than hydrogen gas as fuel have been demonstrated to be suitable technologies for low-power portable electronic device applications due to their high theoretical energy density and low working temperatures. The use of methanol as fuel has several advantages in comparison to hydrogen: it is a cheap liquid fuel that is easily handled, transported, and stored [1-3].
