A new type of direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) that is composed of an alkaline anode and an acid cathode separated with a charger conducting membrane is developed. Theoretically it is shown that the voltage of this novel fuel cell is 2.52 V, while, experimentally it has been demonstrated that this fuel cell can yield an open-circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.60 V and a peak power density of 240 mW cm(-2) at 60 degrees C, which represent the highest performance of DEFCs that has so far been reported in the open literature. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.