This paper describes the development and testing of a direct ammonia fuel cell utilizing a molten alkaline hydroxide electrolyte at temperatures between 200 and 450 degrees C. The advantages of a molten hydroxide fuel cell include the use of a highly conductive and very low-cost electrolyte, inexpensive base metal electrocatalysts, a wide operating temperature range, fuel flexibility, and fast electrode kinetics. The direct use of ammonia in such a fuel cell, even at temperatures as low as 200 degrees C, is made possible due to the very chemically aggressive nature of the melt. A test cell was constructed using a KOH-NaOH eutectic mixture and produced approximately 40 mW cm(-2) of power at 450 degrees C while operating on a stream of pure ammonia fed to the anode and compressed ambient air fed to the cathode. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.