The resulting reaction created a current flow between the electrodes. There was no practical application of fuel cells at that time because of high cost and technological problems. In the 1960s, researchers at the University of Vienna demonstrated a fuel cell that was specific for alcohol. The manufacturer impregnates the porous layer with an acidic electrolyte solution, and applies platinum wire electrical connections to the platinum black surfaces. The manufacturer mounts the entire assembly in a plastic case, which also includes a gas inlet that allows a breath sample to be introduced.
Various manufacturers employ numerous proprietary nuances in their construction.
The basic configuration, however, follows that described above and illustrated in Figure 1. The exact chemistry of the reaction that takes place in an alcohol fuel cell is open to some conjecture. Researchers assume that the reaction converts alcohol to acetic acid. In the process, this conversion produces two free electrons per molecule of alcohol. This reaction takes place on the upper surface of the fuel cell.