Abstract
Exploratory work has been performed on the behavior of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in acidic ion‐exchange membrane fuel cells having platinum and palladium black electrodes. Electrical output was obtained from such cells when propane, propylene, ethylene, methane, and carbon monoxide were used as fuels. In all cases qualitative tests indicated at least partial oxidation to 
. All of the gases performed better on platinum than palladium. In all cases the performance improved with increasing temperature in the range 27°–85°C. None of the fuels tested performed as well as pure hydrogen in the same cells.