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Warning!
Do not allow pure ethanol to enter the fuel cell. The DEFC creates power using 5-15% alcohol
only. A concentration higher than 15% could damage the fuel cell and cause it to stop working
correctly. For best operation please use a mixture of 10% ethanol / 90% Water.Keep ethanol away
from the fire or flame source while you are mixing the solution. Igniting the ethanol and the ethanol
solution is strongly forbidden.
The reason for this is that at higher concentrations, ethanol molecules are more likely to "cross-
over" the membrane which would stop the chemical reaction needed to create electricity. In the
case of methanol fuel cells, methanol molecules are even smaller than ethanol making the effects
of cross-over more difficult to overcome.
Preparing a 10% ethanol solution:
Step 1. Fill the mixing container (part I) with 6ml of pure ethanol (fill container to the 6ml level)
(see A)
Step 2. Fill the remainder of the container with water to the 60ml level. (see B)
Step 3. Stir the liquid in the container thoroughly.
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A
B
Experiment 1: Create electricity from ethanol and water
Step 1. Open the purging valve by pushing the switch to the right side. (see 1A)
Step 2. Pour the solution into the Ethanol container. (see 1A)
1A
Make sure that the tubing connecting the container to the fuel cell is securely attached.
Make sure the tubing connecting the tubing with purging valve is securely connected to the fuel
cell and the switch on the purging valve is positioned at the right side close to the solution tank.
1B
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