Interchangeable biomass fuels for paper-based microfluidic fuel cells : finding their power density limits.
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2023
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Resumo
Paper batteries are self-pumping emerging tools for powering
portable analytical systems. These disposable energy converters must be low-cost
and must achieve enough energy to power electronic devices. The challenge is
reaching high energy while keeping the low cost. Here, for the first time, we report a
paper-based microfluidic fuel cell (PμFC) equipped with Pt/C on a carbon paper
(CP) anode and a metal-free CP cathode fed by biomass-derived fuels to deliver
high power. The cells were engineered in a mixed-media configuration, where
methanol, ethanol, ethylene glycol, or glycerol is electro-oxidized in an alkaline
medium, while Na2S2O8 is reduced in an acidic medium. This strategy allows for
optimizing each half-cell reaction independently. The colaminar channel of the
cellulose paper was chemically investigated by mapping the composition, which
reveals a majority of elements from the catholyte and anolyte on each respective
side and a mixture of both at the interface, assuring the existing colaminar system. Moreover, the colaminar flow was studied by
investigating the flow rate by considering recorded videos for the first time. All PμFCs show 150−200 s to build a stable colaminar
flow, which matches the time to reach a stable open circuit voltage. The flow rate is similar for different concentrations of methanol
and ethanol, but it decreases with the increase in ethylene glycol and glycerol concentrations, suggesting a longer residence time for
the reactants. The cells perform differently for the different concentrations, and their limiting power densities are composed of a
balance among anode poisoning, residence time, and viscosity of the liquids. The sustainable PμFCs can be interchangeably fed by
the four biomass-derived fuels to deliver ∼2.2−3.9 mW cm−2
. This allows choosing the proper fuel due to their availability. The
unprecedented PμFC fed by ethylene glycol delivered 6.76 mW cm−2
, which is the benchmark output power for a paper battery fed
by alcohol.
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Paper batteries, Metal-free cathode, Methanol, Ethanol, Ethylene glycol
Citação
LIMA, A. L. D. et al. Interchangeable biomass fuels for paper-based microfluidic fuel cells: finding their power density limits. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, v. 15, p. 11895-11905, 2023. Disponível em: <https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.2c23192>. Acesso em: 01 ago. 2023.