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

摘要本研究的目的是建立一种燃料电池结构，即使小型化到毫米，也能保持能量密度。该方法是消除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可行的，它结合了两种最新技术：液体反应物的自循环和层流燃料电池。知识优势：虽然燃料电池已经实现了常规规模的商业化，但在系统小型化到1厘米以下方面却面临着严峻的挑战。由于现有燃料电池中的大多数基本组件不能小型化到微型，微型燃料电池将需要一个全新的架构，没有分立的组件。该系统是基于层流的无膜燃料电池中自产CO2气泡循环液体反应物而提出的。一旦开发成功，该超紧凑系统无需组装即可制造。更广泛的影响：由于其燃料的高能量密度，微型燃料电池有望延长许多小型设备的运行时间。{从手机到远程传感器。考虑到越来越多的便携式设备的使用，燃料电池的环境友好性也应该引起注意。拟议的工作需要跨学科和综合方法的研究和教育的问题，从微流体，燃料电池，微加工和应用，到社会影响。学生将获得第一手的经验，为他们未来的职业生涯在小型化系统和替代能源。

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.