New fuel cell can generate electricity at room temperature

Without high temperatures, fuel cells can easily generate electricity. Engineers at the University of Utah recently developed the first fuel cell that can operate at room temperature. Instead of igniting fuel, it uses enzymes to make jet fuel produce electricity. This new fuel cell can power handheld electronic devices, off-grid generators, and sensors. The study was recently published in the online edition of the American Chemical Society's journal ACS Catalysis.

Fuel cells, mainly through oxygen or other oxidants, undergo oxidation-reduction reactions to convert the chemical energy in the fuel into electricity. As long as fuel can be continuously added, the fuel cell can continue to provide clean and inexpensive electricity. Batteries have been widely used in electric vehicles and power generation devices; today, fuel cells are also used for powering some buildings. In addition, they can also power fuel cell vehicles such as hydrogen cars.

According to a recent report by the Physicist Organization Network, a major highlight of the study is the ability to use jet fuel JP-8 directly for fuel cells without removing sulfur impurities or creating a high-temperature working environment. Shili Mindil, a senior author of the paper and a professor from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Utah, said: "Our research proves that JP-8 or other fuels can be used as fuel for low temperature fuel cells, provided that the catalyst is properly identified."

JP-8 is an aviation kerosene fuel used by the US military. It withstands high temperatures and severe cold and can work normally in extreme weather. It is very difficult to convert jet fuel into electricity using traditional techniques. Sulfur is contained in the fuel, and sulfur precisely harms the metal catalyst used to oxidize the fuel in conventional fuel cells. Moreover, the efficiency of this conversion is not high, and even under the best conditions, only about 30% of the chemical energy is converted into electricity.

In order to overcome these limitations, the researchers used JP-8 in an enzyme fuel cell that uses JP-8 as a fuel and uses enzymes, a high-molecular substance with a biocatalytic function, as a catalyst. This kind of fuel cell is not only sulfur-resistant, but also works at room temperature. Specifically, the enzyme used was composed of alkane monooxygenase and alcohol oxidase, and hexane and octane with chemical properties similar to those of JP-8 were also tested as test fuel. The researchers found that adding sulfur to an enzyme fuel cell will not reduce its power generation.

In fact, solid oxide fuel cells have been used in JP-8, but its operating temperature needs to be above 950 degrees Fahrenheit. This study is the first time it has been used at room temperature. Professor Mintel said that her team has now confirmed that the enzyme catalyst works and that the next step will be to focus on how to design this fuel cell and how to improve its power conversion efficiency. (Zhang Jialun)

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