an electrochemical combustion cell is shown this device consists of two electrodes 129 126 formed by gold sputter coating pbo felt 135 133 gas permeability into the electrodes is provided by open pores 140 in the felts 135 133 pt ru black or sputter coated pt ru 136 134 is spray coated onto the pbo felt and a solid polymer electrolyte dais 137 125 in a 1 propanol solution is spray coated over the pt ru black 136 134 a sheet of dais electrolyte 138 is inserted between the two electrodes 126 129 a methanol fuel supply is provided to the cell by methanol diffusion through a selectively permeable membrane 128 and a reservoir 130 of fuel 139 in close proximity to the cell in operation the methanol fuel 132 and air 131 diffuse to the surface of the catalyst 136 a voltage potential is imposed across the cell through the electrodes 126 129 methanol and oxygen oxidize on the surface of the catalyst 136 different applied potentials across the membrane can be used to accelerate or impede the catalytic combustion in this way one can obtain a fine control over the catalytic performance on the surface of the catalyst 136 134 protons are removed from methanol and moved through the electrolyte coating 137 through the separator electrolyte 138 and out to the second coating electrolyte 125 the proton movement through the electrolyte can also ionically drag methanol fuel through the separator electrolyte 138 increasing the delivery of fuel to be oxidized in some situations with specific concentrations of fuel on the source side 132 and the air source side 131 the cell will run as a fuel cell without external power needed to run current through the cell the products of the cell are carbon dioxide and water which.