Adhesive copper films for an air-breathing polymer electrolyte fuel cell

A design for an air-breathing and passive polymer electrolyte fuel cell is presented. Such a type of fuel cell is in general promising for portable electronics. In the present design, the anode current collector is made of a thin copper foil. The foil is provided with an adhesive and conductive coating, which firstly tightens the hydrogen compartment without mask or clamping pressure, and secondly secures a good electronic contact between the anode backing and the current collector. The cathode comprises a backing, a gold-plated stainless steel mesh and a current collector cut out from a printed circuit board. Three geometries for the cathode current collector were evaluated. Single cells with an active area of 2 cm2 yielded a peak power of 250–300 mW cm−2 with air and pure H2 in a complete passive mode except for the controlled flow of H2. The cells’ response was investigated in steady state and transient modes.