Micro and nano structured reaction device for micro DMFC

This paper proposes a novel reaction device design for micro direct methanol fuel cell (μDMFC) with the combination of micro and nano structures for the enhancement of reaction area. The device combined micro porous Si thin film by DRIE with the growth of high-aspect-ratio carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with specific direction on the vertical sidewall surfaces of micro holes to increase the reaction area by 3–4 orders. By the loading of Pt nanoparticles on CNTs, this device would be applied to the anode or cathode in μDMFC. SEM clearly showed well controlled 100∼150-μm-deep micro holes with CNTs growth on the sidewall with the diameter of 80∼100 nm and length of 3∼5 μm. It is suggested that the reaction performance can be improved by orders of magnitude when both the micro structures and CNTs combine together.