Investigation on Denaturing Agents for Use with Ethanol in Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells (DEFC)

An ethanol derivative and fusel oil were investigated regarding their possible use as denaturing agents for ethanol for DEFC in 0.5 M sulphuric acid and 0.1 M potassium hydroxide solution at platinum by means of cyclic voltammetry and differential electrochemical mass spectroscopy. It was found that fusel oil is not suitable as denaturing agent for DEFC due to strong adsorption to platinum surfaces and the hindrance of the ethanol conversion. On the other hand, the investigated ethanol derivative does not hinder the ethanol conversion as much and therefore seems to be a promising candidate for a denaturing agent to use with ethanol in DEFC.