The surface modification of a porous silicon membrane is presented in this paper. The base porous silicon membrane is fabricated by anodization and has a range of pore sizes and porosities. In order to change its wettability, the surface of the porous silicon membrane is modified using silane-octadecyl-trichlorosilane. The average contact angle of the modified porous silicon membrane against water exceeds 126°. This modified membrane is incorporated to form part of the anode plate in a novel passive micro direct methanol fuel cell. Its use leads to a decrease in methanol crossover and an increase in the operating time.
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