Self-Pumping Micro Fuel-Cell System with Scalable Monolithic Construction

摘要这项研究的目标是建立一种即使在微型化到毫米级的情况下仍能保持能量密度的燃料电池体系结构。方法是取消燃料电池结构中的所有支撑部件(泵、气体分离器、膜电极组件和互连)，只留下系统中的活性流体材料和外壳结构。这种革命性的系统是通过集成两项最新技术提出的可行的：液体反应物的自循环和层流燃料电池。智能优点：虽然燃料电池已经商业化，但在1厘米以下的系统小型化方面遇到了严峻的挑战。由于现有燃料电池中的大多数基本组件都不能微型化，微型燃料电池将需要一种全新的没有离散组件的架构。这种系统是通过在基于层流的无膜燃料电池中通过自生CO2气泡使液体反应物循环而提出的。开发成功后，这种超紧凑型系统无需组装即可制造。广泛影响：由于燃料的高能量密度，微型燃料电池有望延长许多小型设备的运行时间--从手机到遥控器。考虑到便携式设备的使用不断增加，燃料电池的环境友好性也应该得到重视。拟议的工作需要在研究和教育方面采取跨学科和综合的方法，研究和教育的问题范围从微流体、燃料电池、微制造和应用到社会影响。学生将获得在微型系统和替代能源领域的第一手经验，为他们未来的职业生涯奠定基础。

AbstractThe objective of this research is to establish a fuel-cell architecture that maintains the energy density even with miniaturization down to millimeters. The approach is to eliminate all the supporting components (pump, gas separator, membrane electrode assembly, and the interconnections) from the fuel-cell construction, leaving only the active fluidic materials and the housing structure in the system. Such a revolutionary system is proposed feasible by integrating two recent technologies: self-circulation of liquid reactants and laminar-flow fuel cells.Intellectual merit: While already commercialized in regular scale, fuel cells have been encountering serious challenges in system miniaturization below a centimeter. Since most of the components essential in the existing fuel cells cannot be miniaturized to microscale, micro fuel cells would require a completely new architecture free of discrete components. Such a system is proposed by circulating the liquid reactants by the self-generated CO2 bubbles in a membrane-free fuel cell based on laminar flows. When developed successfully, the ultra-compact system can be fabricated without assembly.Broader Impact: Due to the high energy density of their fuels, micro fuel cells are promising to extend the operation time of many small devices ?{ from cell phones to remote sensors. Considering the ever-increasing use of portable devices, the environment friendliness of fuel cells should also be noted. The proposed work requires an interdisciplinary and integrated approach in research and education on the issues ranging from microfluidics, fuel cells, microfabrication, and applications, to societal impact. Students will gain first-hand experience for their future career in miniaturized systems and alternative energies.