Investigation of a novel MEA for direct dimethyl ether fuel cell

In this study, we presented the novel membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for direct dimethyl ether fuel cell (DDFC). The anode diffusion layer of the MEA consisted of hydrophilic region and hydrophobic region (with a ratio of region areas of 1:1). The electrochemical impedance spectra analyses revealed that the mass transfer resistance of novel MEA was lower than that of completed hydrophilic or hydrophobic MEA. The performance of novel MEA for DDFC was enhanced due to the promotion the mass transport of DME fuel at 50 °C. The constant current operation curves showed that the performance decay ratio of the novel MEA was lower than that of conventional MEAs. It indicated that the novel MEA benefited the long-term operation of DDFC.