Book excerpt: Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells for Portable Applications: Fundamentals, Engineering and Advances presents the fundamental concepts, technological advances and challenges in developing, modeling and deploying fuel cells and fuel cell systems for portable devices, including micro and mini fuel cells. The authors review the fundamental science of direct alcohol fuel cells, covering, in detail, thermodynamics, electrode kinetics and electrocatalysis of charge-transfer reactions, mass and heat transfer phenomena, and basic modeling aspects. In addition, the book examines other fuels in DAFCs, such as formic acid, ethylene glycol and glycerol, along with technological aspects and applications, including case studies and cost analysis. Researchers, engineering professionals, fuel cell developers, policymakers and senior graduate students will find this a valuable resource. The book's comprehensive coverage of fundamentals is especially useful for graduate students, advanced undergraduate students and those new to the field. - Provides a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of DAFCs and their basic components, design and performance - Presents current and complete information on the state-of-the-art of DAFC technology and its most relevant challenges for commercial deployment - Includes practical application examples, problems and case studies - Covers the use of other fuels, such as formic acid, ethylene glycol and glycerol