The current energy context plays a significant role on the renewable energy sources development. This study reports the direct feeding of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell with hydrogen produced from photocatalytic reforming and dehydrogenation of alcohols. Methanol was used as model feedstock. The hydrogen production rate was optimized by varying such parameters such as, photocatalyst concentration (TiO2), cocatalyst loading (platinum nanoparticles), the photon flux, the temperature, the stirring rate and the photocatalyst kind. Thus, hydrothermal synthesis was used to obtain various kinds of TiO2 monophasic and polyphasic, with various crystalline structures and compositions. Platinum nanoparticles were deposited using various methods (photodeposition, wetness and ions exchange impregnation). Photocatalityc activities were correlated to catalyst physicochemical properties. Fuel cell performances, fed with photocatalytic hydrogen, were checked. Finally, the electric power reached 1 mW cm-2 of photoreactors optical area, for few hours, under solar irradiation.
