A design approach of extending the anode zone for miniaturization of the fuel cells was investigated in an air‐breathing micro‐direct methanol fuel cell (µDMFC) with an extended anode catalyst region on the walls of the fuel flow channel. This non‐conventional design is demonstrated to be a feasible approach to enhance the volumetric power density of a micro‐direct methanol fuel cell by increasing the total anode catalyst amount without affecting the cell dimensions. The fuel cell with extra anode catalyst on the fuel channel walls improves the maximum power density of a micro‐fuel cell by at least 20% compared to the conventional design with only a catalyst coated membrane (CCM). The effects of key operating conditions on the overall cell and individual electrode performances are examined. The mass transport of methanol to the catalyst active sites is more efficient in the fuel cell with anode catalyst on both the membrane and channel walls than the conventional fuel cell design with anode catalyst only on the membrane.

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具有扩展阳极区的带呼吸功能的微直接甲醇燃料电池的性能分析

在空气呼吸型微直接甲醇燃料电池（µDMFC）中研究了一种扩展阳极区域以使燃料电池小型化的设计方法，该燃料电池在燃料流动通道壁上具有扩展的阳极催化剂区域。这种非常规设计被证明是通过增加总阳极催化剂量而不影响电池尺寸来提高微型直接甲醇燃料电池的体积功率密度的可行方法。与仅带有催化剂涂层膜（CCM）的传统设计相比，在燃料通道壁上带有额外阳极催化剂的燃料电池将微燃料电池的最大功率密度提高了至少20％。研究了关键操作条件对整个电池和单个电极性能的影响。