Towards best practices for improving paper-based microfluidic fuel cells
Shen LL, Zhang GR, Venter T, Biesalski M, Etzold BJ (2019)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2019
Journal
Book Volume: 298
Pages Range: 389-399
DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2018.12.077
Abstract
Paper-based microfluidic fuel cells emerge as a promising clean energy sources for small-scale electronic devices, while their broad-based applications require a comprehensive understanding of their structure-performance relationships. Here in this work, we made attempt to identify the key structural parameters that impact the overall performance of paper-based microfluidic fuel cells. The influences of fuel crossover, cell resistance, limitations from both anode and cathode, and in particular microfluidic paper channel properties have been systemically investigated and optimized towards the best practices. Among various structural parameters, we unravel for the first time that the overall performance of these paper-based microfluidic fuel cells is largely dependent on the textural properties of microfluidic paper channels. By correlating the fuel cell performance with the unambiguously determined flow rate of electrolyte within different paper channels, we found that a greater flow rate which was achieved by using paper with larger mean pore diameter, could result in higher peak power density and open circuit voltage. This performance enhancement would benefit from minimized reactant depletion near electrode surfaces and suppressed fuel crossover. Technically, an open circuit voltage of 0.86 V and a maximum power density of 7.10 mW/cm 2 can be achieved on a single cell (fuel: 4 M KCOOH; oxidant: air; electrolyte: 1 M KOH; catalyst: 0.2 mg/cm 2 Pd/C on 0.15 cm 2 graphite foil), and the maximum power output can be sustained for at least 1 h. The fuel cell power can also be easily increased proportionally when connecting two or more cells in series, which makes theses paper-based microfluidic fuel cells capable to power various electronic devices with different power requirements.
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Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Shen, L.L., Zhang, G.R., Venter, T., Biesalski, M., & Etzold, B.J. (2019). Towards best practices for improving paper-based microfluidic fuel cells. Electrochimica Acta, 298, 389-399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2018.12.077
MLA:
Shen, Liu Liu, et al. "Towards best practices for improving paper-based microfluidic fuel cells." Electrochimica Acta 298 (2019): 389-399.
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