Formic Acid Fuel Cell

Formic acid fuel cells, also called direct formic acid fuel cells or DFAFCs, are a subcategory of direct liquid-feed fuel cells in which the liquid fuel is oxidized electrochemically at the anode rather than first being reformed to produce hydrogen. They are seen as a promising energy supply because of their high volumetric energy density and theoretical energy efficiency and open-circuit voltage, and they avoid problems inherent to traditional hydrogen-fed fuel cells such as safe handling, storage and transport of hydrogen gas. Three main variants exist: active DFAFCs, in which a pump feeds liquid fuel to the anode and compressed air to the cathode; active air-breathing DFAFCs, in which the cathode draws oxygen from ambient air; and passive air-breathing DFAFCs, which use no mechanical components to inject fuel or air at all, an approach that trades some energy output for lower cost and greater portability. Current applications include small portable electronics, medical diagnostic devices, larger fixed power installations and electric vehicles.