Patent ID: 7422813

Claim:
A microfibrous direct methanol fuel cell comprising at least one microfibrous direct methanol fuel cell element arranged to carry out dissociation of methanol and combination of protons, electrons and oxygen to generate energy, said microfibrous fuel cell element having a longitudinal axis and comprising: (a) a microfibrous hollow membrane separator defining a bore side and a shell side; (b) an inner current collector at the bore side of said membrane separator; (c) an inner electrocatalyst layer in contact with said inner current collector and an inner surface of the membrane separator; (d) an outer current collector at the shell side of said membrane separator; and (e) an outer electrocatalyst layer in contact with said outer current collector and an outer surface of the membrane separator, wherein said microfibrous hollow membrane separator comprises an ion exchange polymeric proton-conductive membrane wall with one or more continuous reinforcement fibers embedded within the ion exchange polymeric proton-conductive membrane wall, wherein said one or more continuous reinforcement fibers are different from said inner current collector and said outer current collector and extend longitudinally within the ion exchange polymeric proton-conductive membrane wall, with essentially all the continuous reinforcement fibers aligned parallelly with the longitudinal axis of the fuel cell element, and wherein an inner fluid passage is provided in communication with the inner electrocatalyst layer and the inner current collector for flow of either a methanol-containing or an oxygen-containing fluid.