A Facile Microfluidic Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cell with High Performance: Electrode Interface and Power-Generation Properties

Abstract

To simplify the miniature fuel cell structure and flow mode, we report here a microfluidic fuel cell running on H 2 O 2 as both fuel and oxidant under acidic conditions. Prussian blue coating on carbon paper serves as the cathode side while the anode is made of three-dimensional flow-through Ni foam. The fuel cell achieves a power density in excess of 0.58 ± 0.13 W m −2 at a current density of 3.68 ± 0.1 A m −2 , and an open circuit potential of 0.65 V. Importantly, the Ni foam shows a corrosion in H 2 O 2 -catalyzing after a long-term operation, which is seriously neglected by most of previous H 2 O 2 -running fuel cells. SEM images and XPS spectra demonstrate a gradient corrosion occurs in the three-dimensional flow-through porous Ni-foam electrode. The corrosion degree of Ni foam gradually aggravates along the vertical direction, which is caused by the gradient accumulation of H 2 O in the porous electrode. The protection methods including surface coating a protection layer and doping some more reactive metals have been proposed to improve the system commercialization.

Single-Stream H2O2 Membraneless Microfluidic Fuel Cell and Its Application as a Self-Powered Electrochemical Sensor

“…The drop in the current density might be attributed to H 2 O 2 consumption, corrosion of Ni mesh, and the species transfer losses. 39,40 We believe that the proposed H 2 O 2 -MMFC can fulfill the energy requirement of some lowpower portable electronic devices, such as electronic pregnancy test devices and glucometers that typically demand maximum currents of 4 and 1.1 mA, respectively.…”

Selective hydrogen peroxide conversion tailored by surface, interface, and device engineering

“…Surface redox reactions, such as electrodeposition, can also be the side reactions at the potential of fuel cell cathodes. 153 These concurrent side reactions could produce a potential loss as large as 0.9 V at a superficial current density of <150 mA cm À2 . 154 Introducing a redox couple (M n+ /M (n-x)+ ) with carbon rod/paper as the cathode could eliminate that mixed potential effect (Figure 10C) because of the high selectivity of redox couple reduction and oxidation by the H 2 O 2 at the cathode (Equations 20 and 21).…”

Advances in microfluidic electrochemical fuel cells in recent years

“…Yang Yang et al investigated corrosion of electrodes in MFEFCs that used H 2 O 2 both as an oxidant and a fuel in an acidic environment. 77 They discovered that porous Ni electrodes were gradually corroded during the general operations and that this effect could be eliminated by coating the electrodes with a protect layer and doping some more reactive metals in the electrodes. The team also designed a flexible MFEFC powered by H 2 O 2 to eliminate the problem of mixing the anolyte and catholyte.…”