Abstract
Systems of two immiscible liquids are proposed for a new type of membraneless fuel cells using renewable fuel, in which the stationary phase boundary carries out a role of membrane. These systems consist of water, alcohol (preferable ethanol) and a number of electrolytes (salts and bases) leading to the layering of aqueous alcohol. In such systems top phase has significant alcohol content and insignificant electrolyte content, bottom phase has significant electrolyte content and insignificant alcohol content. To study the layering conditions in these systems, binodal curves were plotted for three two-phase liquid systems (EtOH + K2CO3 + H2O; EtOH + K3PO4 + H2O, EtOH + KOH + H2O), using the cloud point method. Comparison of our experimental data with the results of other authors showed that they are consistent for the first and second systems, and the temperature dependence of the binodal curves is clearly visible for the third system. The specific system EtOH – 30 % m/m; KOH – 40 % m/m; H2O – 30 % m/m was taken as the basis for studies of fuel cells based on two immiscible liquids. A further area of research lies in the field of optimizing the composition of both phases, studying the processes of mass transfer in these systems and their physicochemical characteristics.
Highlights
The transition to environmentally friendly and resourcesaving energetics and the creation of new energy sources is an urgent task of our time
The main problems of membrane Fuel cells (FCs) are associated with membranes and the use of expensive catalysts made of noble metals and alloys based on them
Binodal curve for the EtOH + K2CO3 + H2O system according to data of Table 1 is presented in Fig. 1, in Fig. 2 it is given in comparison with literature data obtained by both the cloud point method and the equilibrium phase method [9, 16, 20]
Summary
The transition to environmentally friendly and resourcesaving energetics and the creation of new energy sources is an urgent task of our time. Fuel cells (FCs), the operation of which is based on the direct transformation of chemical energy of fuel oxidation into electrical energy, avoiding ineffective combustion processes, may be one of its solutions. Of the various types of FCs using renewable fuels (alcohols, mainly ethanol), only membrane FCs have found practical use. In them there is a porous membrane with electrolyte between the anode and the cathode that conducts protons (cation-exchange, or proton-exchange, acid electrolyte) or hydroxide anions (anion-exchange, alkaline electrolyte), but does not conduct electrons [1, 2]. The main problems of membrane FCs are associated with membranes and the use of expensive catalysts made of noble metals and alloys based on them
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