Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell

A direct ethanol fuel cell, or DEFC, is a category of fuel cell in which ethanol is fed directly into the cell as fuel rather than first being reformed into hydrogen. At the anode, ethanol is oxidized in the presence of water, producing carbon dioxide, hydrogen ions and electrons; the hydrogen ions cross a polymer electrolyte membrane to the cathode, where they combine with oxygen and electrons arriving through the external circuit to form water, and the flow of electrons through that external circuit supplies electrical power. The overall reaction converts ethanol and oxygen into water and carbon dioxide.