Effects of NaOH addition on performance of the direct hydrazine fuel cell

Abstract

In this work, we suggested a figuration of the direct hydrazine fuel cell (DHFC) using non-precious metals as the anode catalyst, ion exchange membranes as the electrolyte and alkaline hydrazine solutions as the fuel. NaOH addition in the anolyte effectively improved the open circuit voltage and the performance of the DHFC. A power density of 84 mW cm⁻² has been achieved when operating the cell at room temperature. It was found that the cell performance was mainly influenced by anode polarization when using alkaline N₂H₄ solutions with low NaOH concentrations. However, when using alkaline N₂H₄ solutions with high NaOH concentrations as the fuel, the cell performance was mainly influenced by cathode polarization.