Power Hungry: Fuel Cells Harvesting Biofluids for Renewable Power of Wearable Medical Devices

我们的最终目标是创造一种碱性燃料电池，它使用血糖作为可再生能源， 可植入和可穿戴医疗设备。我们认为，创造这种产品所需的组件和技术 设备已经成熟，并且存在开发集成这些组件的系统的机会 以生产在尺寸、功率和效率方面临床上可行的系统。如果成功，这将是一个完全 利用血糖作为碱性燃料电池的燃料源的新技术。这种性质的燃料电池将 为植入式和/或可穿戴医疗设备提供长期的可再生能源。电路与超- 电容器或可充电电池将有助于电源管理4。在其最后的公式中，有可能 设想一个小型的螺旋缠绕膜燃料电池封装成一个设备的大小为三个AA电池 利用人体采集的糖为医疗设备提供电力。 为了SPiRE开发项目的目的，作为第一步，我们建议开发一种外部葡萄糖- 燃料电池作为技术示范。这样的系统可能比标准电池更有优势 技术在能量密度，大小和重量方面，但真实的目标是让我们能够研究和解决 围绕这项技术的实施的陷阱，并使我们能够与临床医生进行讨论， 例如血管外科医生等，关于如何最好地在人体内推进和部署这项技术。为此 SPiRE奖。我们将： ·使用现成的材料、阴离子交换膜和电子器件制造台式燃料电池。 ·开发一种使用葡萄糖作为燃料源的固有燃料电池架构，作为概念验证。 该项目的方法建立在现有的技术专长，合作和设备已经 Weir博士和Pellegrino博士的研究小组使用的。我们将采用碱性电解质，而不是 典型的酸性电解质。在我们的实验中，碱性电解质是一种固体聚合物电解质， 阴离子交换膜（AEM）。阴离子交换膜（AEM）提供优于传统质子交换膜的优点 交换膜（PEM）。阴离子交换膜不需要贵金属催化剂，并且具有低成本。 燃料交叉。与质子交换相比，AEM也已被证明具有高功率密度 膜（PEM）葡萄糖燃料电池。 在我们的研究中，我们将使用由Chulsung Bae博士开发和提供的高离子导电AEM。 伦斯勒理工学院（RPI）。这种最先进的膜将减少对基础葡萄糖的需求 能够实现体内或体外生物医学应用的介质。我们的膜电极组件，由 阳极、阴极和AEM将被放置在标准的10 cm 2燃料电池堆中。我们完全承认， 通向完全可植入燃料电池的途径必须通过其它障碍，例如生物相容性;尽管如此， 目前的材料进步使我们能够在局部高pH值下进行葡萄糖的非生物催化氧化 条件我们将探索模拟血液中浓度的葡萄糖浓度， 未来的发展，我们将开发一个原型独立适当包装的外部燃料电池在一个 形状、尺寸和重量适合用于经桡动脉假体。没有人类和/或动物研究将采取 在这个发展的早期阶段。 我们的团队在项目的各个方面都有经验。Pellegrino博士在材料科学方面的专长， 膜确保燃料电池的设计将在现有技术的基础上得到改进。塞吉尔博士的机电 上肢假肢组件的设计经验将为小型化和包装提供信息， 设备. Weir博士之前在植入式传感器、无线供电技术和医疗设备方面的工作 发展将促进功率稳定电子设备的设计。 1

Our ultimate goal is to create an alkaline fuel cell that uses blood sugars as a renewable power source for implantable and wearable medical devices. We believe the components and technologies needed to create such a device have come of age and that an opportunity exists to develop a system that integrates these components to produce a clinically viable system in terms of size, power, and efficiency. If successful, this will be a completely novel technology using blood sugar as a fuel source for an alkaline fuel cell. A fuel cell of this nature would enable long-term, renewable power for implanted and/or wearable medical devices. Circuits with super- capacitors or rechargeable batteries will help with power management4. In its final formulation, it is possible to envision a small spiral wound membrane-based fuel cell packaged into a device the size of three AA batteries that uses body-harvested sugars to produce electrical power for medical devices. For the purpose of this SPiRE development project as a first step we propose to develop an external glucose- based fuel cell as a technology demonstrator. Such a system might have advantages over standard battery technology in terms of energy density, size, and weight but the real goal is to allow us to research and address the pitfalls surrounding implementation of this technology and to enable us to have discussions with clinicians, such as vascular surgeons and the like, on how to best advance and deploy this technology in people. For this SPiRE award. We will: • Create a bench-top fuel cell using off-the-shelf materials, an anion exchange membrane, and electronics. • Develop an intrinsic fuel cell architecture using glucose as a fuel source as a proof-of-concept. The methods of this project build upon existing technical expertise, collaborations, and equipment already used by Dr. Weir’s and Dr. Pellegrino’s research groups. We will implement an alkaline electrolyte rather than the typical acid electrolyte. The alkaline electrolyte in our experiment is a solid polymer electrolyte known as an anion exchange membrane (AEM). Anion exchange membranes (AEM) offer benefits over traditional proton exchange membranes (PEM). Anion exchange membranes do not require noble metal catalysts and have low fuel crossover. AEM’s also have been shown to have high power density when compared to proton exchange membrane (PEM) glucose fuel cells. In our study, we will use a highly ionically conductive AEM developed and provided by Dr. Chulsung Bae of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). This state-of-the-art membrane will reduce the need for a basic glucose media enabling in-vivo or ex-vivo bio-medical applications. Our membrane electrode assembly, consisting of the anode, cathode, and AEM, will be placed in a standard 10 cm2 fuel cell stack. We completely acknowledge that the route to fully implantable fuel cells must pass through other hurdles, such as biocompatibility; nonetheless, the current materials advances allow us to operate abiotic catalytic oxidation of glucose with locally high pH conditions. We will explore glucose concentrations which mimic the concentration in blood in anticipation of future development, and we will develop a prototype standalone appropriately packaged external fuel cell in a shape, size, and weight suitable for use in a trans-radial prosthesis. No human and/or animal research will take place at this early stage of development. Our team has experience across all aspects of the project. Dr. Pellegrino’s expertise in material science and membranes ensures the design of the fuel cell will improve upon prior technology. Dr. Segil’s electromechanical design experience in upper limb prosthetic components will inform the miniaturization and packaging of the device. Dr. Weir’s prior work on implantable sensors, wireless power technology, and medical device development will facilitate the design of the power stabilization electronics. 1