Rechargeable and integrated nickel/metal hydride microbatteries for portable diagnostic and environmental monitoring devices

用于便携式诊断和环境监测设备的可充电集成镍/金属氢化物微电池

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-03722
• 负责人: Barz, Dominik
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=708050
• 关键词: Rechargeable; integrated; nickel; metal; hydride

The miniaturization of electronic devices enabled the development of modern information technologies. The concept of miniaturization has also been applied to mechanical and fluidic components to develop the versatile technologies of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and Microfluidics. MEMS can be generally defined as systems of miniaturized electro-mechanical sensors and actuators (e.g. air bag sensors), while Microfluidics deals with fluid handling in geometries below a millimetre. Especially in the area of Microfluidics, the reduction in size and integration of multiple functions has produced structures with capabilities that far exceed those of conventional systems and also have the potential of being mass produced at a low cost. Microfluidic technologies include the so-called Point-of-Care Testing, which provides a means for healthcare diagnostics at the site of the patient. That is, diagnostics that previously required several steps, highly skilled personnel and expensive equipment can be replaced with microfluidic methods that generate easy access to regular testing in real-time that can be carried out in privacy at home. Likewise, the microfluidic Lab-on-a-Chip technology aims to integrate a multitude of laboratory functions on a microchip of only a few square centimetres in size. A typical application could be the monitoring of pathogens in drinking water right at the source. However, the supply of electrical power to these devices continues to impose a barrier since the development of power source miniaturization has not kept the pace. The majority of microfluidic devices are still powered by external and oversized power supplies, leading to several problems which compromise the advantages of miniaturization. An attractive approach to power micro devices seems to be the use of embedded power sources within the device. In this research, we propose the development and optimization of a rechargeable, integrated microbattery based on the nickel/metal hydride electrochemistry. Consequently, this approach requires that the microbattery is manufactured with the state of the art microfabrication techniques onto substrates which are commonly used for microfluidic devices such as glass. This research program will ultimately establish a new class of integrated power sources for a variety of applications, which will potentially have a tremendous impact on the broad field of MEMS and Microfluidic devices. The further development of such systems for portable medical diagnostics and environmental monitoring will directly benefit the Canadian healthcare system by providing affordable and easy access to regular testing wherever it is required. Also, the research program will prove a unique multidisciplinary training environment and assist in the expansion of `high tech' jobs in Canada through the training of highly qualified engineers/scientists.

电子设备的小型化使现代信息技术得以发展。小型化的概念也被应用于机械和流体元件，以开发微机电系统（MEMS）和微流体的通用技术。MEMS通常可以被定义为微型机电传感器和致动器（例如气囊传感器）的系统，而微流体处理小于1毫米的几何形状的流体处理。特别是在微流体领域，尺寸的减小和多功能的集成已经产生了具有远远超过传统系统的能力的结构，并且还具有以低成本大规模生产的潜力。微流体技术包括所谓的即时检测，它为患者现场的医疗诊断提供了一种手段。也就是说，以前需要几个步骤、高技能人员和昂贵设备的诊断可以被微流体方法所取代，这种方法可以轻松地实时进行定期测试，并可以在家中私下进行。同样，微流控芯片实验室技术旨在将众多实验室功能集成在一个只有几平方厘米大小的微芯片上。一个典型的应用可能是在源头监测饮用水中的病原体。然而，由于电源小型化的发展没有跟上步伐，因此向这些装置供应电力继续构成障碍。大多数微流体装置仍然由外部和超大电源供电，导致几个问题，这些问题损害了小型化的优势。一种有吸引力的方法来为微型器件供电似乎是在器件内使用嵌入式电源。在这项研究中，我们提出了一个可充电的，集成的微电池的基础上镍/金属氢化物电化学的发展和优化。因此，这种方法需要用现有技术的微制造技术将微电池制造到通常用于微流体装置的基底（例如玻璃）上。该研究计划最终将为各种应用建立一种新型集成电源，这将对MEMS和微流体器件的广泛领域产生巨大影响。进一步开发这种便携式医疗诊断和环境监测系统，将使加拿大的保健系统直接受益，因为在需要的任何地方都可以方便地进行负担得起的定期检测。此外，该研究方案将证明是一个独特的多学科培训环境，并通过培训高素质的工程师/科学家，协助扩大加拿大的“高科技”工作。