Long-term room-temperature hydrazine/air fuel cells based on low-cost nanotextured Cu-Ni catalysts

We present here a long-term room-temperature (RT) direct-liquid hydrazine/air fuel cell device. This hydrazine/air fuel cell is based on low-cost easily-prepared nanotextured Cu-Ni anodes as the hydrazine (Hz) catalyst, combined with a commercial anion-exchange membrane film and a commercial air cathode. In addition, our hydrazine/air fuel cell consists on an improved novel design that results in remarkably high mechanical and chemical stabilities for long periods of operation. This hydrazine/air fuel cell can operates continuously for about similar to 2000 h (limited mainly by cathode and membrane deterioration) with continuous fuel supply, and supplies about 0.58 V at 1 A (14.3 mA cm(-2), with a discharge efficiency of about 70% (drift is less than 0.01% h(-1)), and appears to be suitable for mass production. The use of optimally-combined multi-metal electrodes suggests the possibility to create novel catalysts of improved electrochemical efficiency and stability. Our fuel cell devices can find broad applications in different civilian and military field mobile and stationary uses, for instance, in future fuel-cell operated vehicles and stationary back-up power electrical stations. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.