The potential for microfluidics in electrochemical energy systems

Modestino, Miguel A.; Rivas, David Fernández; Hashemi, S. Mohammad H.; Gardeniers, Han; Psaltis, Demetri

doi:10.1039/c6ee01884j

Cited by 81 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 57 publications

(57 reference statements)

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“…12 Removing the solid membrane in these systems decreases the ohmic losses and provides flexibility in the selection of catalysts in addition to a simplified cell design. [13][14][15][16] Controlling two-phase flows by topography induced variations of the bubbles' surface energy is another way of eliminating the need for a functional membrane. 17 In this paper, we implement experimental and numerical tools to investigate the dynamics of bubbles flowing in microfluidic channels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inertial manipulation of bubbles in rectangular microfluidic channels

et al. 2018

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Inertial microfluidics is an active field of research that deals with crossflow positioning of the suspended entities in microflows. Until now, the majority of the studies have focused on the behavior of rigid particles in order to provide guidelines for microfluidic applications such as sorting and filtering. Deformable entities such as bubbles and droplets are considered in fewer studies despite their importance in multiphase microflows. In this paper, we show that the trajectory of bubbles flowing in rectangular and square microchannels can be controlled by tuning the balance of forces acting on them. A T-junction geometry is employed to introduce bubbles into a microchannel and analyze their lateral equilibrium position in a range of Reynolds (1 < Re < 40) and capillary numbers (0.1 < Ca < 1). We find that the Reynolds number (Re), the capillary number (Ca), the diameter of the bubble (D[combining macron]), and the aspect ratio of the channel are the influential parameters in this phenomenon. For instance, at high Re, the flow pushes the bubble towards the wall while large Ca or D[combining macron] moves the bubble towards the center. Moreover, in the shallow channels, having aspect ratios higher than one, the bubble moves towards the narrower sidewalls. One important outcome of this study is that the equilibrium position of bubbles in rectangular channels is different from that of solid particles. The experimental observations are in good agreement with the performed numerical simulations and provide insights into the dynamics of bubbles in laminar flows which can be utilized in the design of flow based multiphase flow reactors.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inertial manipulation of bubbles in rectangular microfluidic channels

et al. 2018

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“…Photocatalytic cells and fuel cells have been recently investigated as power sources alternative to batteries with the advantage of being compatible with microfluidic chips. Microfluidics paves a general and consistent path for the miniaturization, integration and automatization of various chemical processes in one microsystem . A microfluidic fuel cell (μFC) offers unique advantages in comparison to a conventional fuel cell, such as high‐surface area‐to‐volume ratio, integration, and portability .…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

From Extended Nanofluidics to an Autonomous Solar‐Light‐Driven Micro Fuel‐Cell Device

et al. 2017

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Autonomous micro/nano mechanical, chemical, and biomedical sensors require persistent power sources scaled to their size. Realization of autonomous micro‐power sources is a challenging task, as it requires combination of wireless energy supply, conversion, storage, and delivery to the sensor. Herein, we realized a solar‐light‐driven power source that consists of a micro fuel cell (μFC) and a photocatalytic micro fuel generator (μFG) integrated on a single microfluidic chip. The μFG produces hydrogen by photocatalytic water splitting under solar light. The hydrogen fuel is then consumed by the μFC to generate electricity. Importantly, the by‐product water returns back to the photocatalytic μFG via recirculation loop without losses. Both devices rely on novel phenomena in extended‐nano‐fluidic channels that ensure ultra‐fast proton transport. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate that μFG/μFC source achieves remarkable energy density of ca. 17.2 mWh cm−2 at room temperature.

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“…Effortsh ave been devoted to design workable microfluidic fuel cell systems. [15][16][17] Fori nstance, af ormic acid microfluidic fuel cell was proposed by Choban et al,i nw hich formic acid was as the fuel and oxygen dissolved in as olution of sulfuric acid acted as the oxidant. [18] Sun et al developed af ormic acidpotassium permanganate colaminar flow fuel cell, which could output am aximum power of about 0.6 mW cm À2 .…”

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confidence: 99%

A Paper‐Based Microfluidic Fuel Cell with Hydrogen Peroxide as Fuel and Oxidant

Yan

Zeng

et al. 2017

Energy Tech

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Thee ver-growing interest in portable electronics,e specially wearable devices,i mposes great demands on power sources that are compact. Ap aper-based microfluidic fuel cell for portable electronics that uses H 2 O 2 as both fuel and oxidant is reported herein. Unlikec onventional microfluidic fuel cells,w hich rely on ac olaminar flow of anolyte and catholyte,t he presentf uel cell is realized by the selective catalysis of H 2 O 2 ,a nd it can eliminate concerns about fuel management and disturbance by bubbles.S ilver nanowires and carbon nanotube (CNT)-supportedP russian Blue are chosen as the anode and cathode catalyst, respectively,t oc atalyze the oxidation and reduction reactions.R esults show that the present microfluidic fuel cell system is able to offer ap eak power density as high as 0.88 mW cm À2.A dditional striking features of the present fuel cell are that it does not require precious-metal catalysts and the used fuel, H 2 O 2 ,i sacarbonfree and sustainable energy carrier.Fuel cells have been widelyr egarded as the next generation of power sources due to their unique advantages of high efficiency and zero emission of pollutants. [1][2][3] Fore xample,t he proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is suitable for transportation applications due to its high powerd ensity and low operating temperature; [4][5][6][7] the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) hasb een developed for stationary power generation because its efficiencyc an be much higher than that of at hermal powers tation for converting fuel into electricity. [7][8][9][10] Recently,t he usage of portable electronics,e specially wearable devices,h as attracted great attention in various fields,i ncluding medicine,f itness,a nd entertainment.H owever, the evergrowingr ange of wearable devices imposes great demands on operation time that current lithium-ionb atterieso rf uel cells are unable to meet. Therefore,n ew power sources are needed for such devices,a nd ap ower source as compacta s possible is preferred. To meet this requirement, an ovel fuel cell system, named the microfluidic fuel cell, has been developed. [11] Am icrofluidic fuel cell is as ystem that integrates the delivery of reactants and removal of products. [12][13][14] Thee lectrochemical reaction sites and electrodes tructure of this fuel cell are all realized on am icrofluidic channel. Theo perating conditions for this system are based on ac olaminar flow of fuel and oxidant,w hich forms al iquid-liquid interfacet o separate the anode and cathode;t hus the use of am embrane can be eliminated in the microfluidic fuel cell. Effortsh ave been devoted to design workable microfluidic fuel cell systems. [15][16][17] Fori nstance, af ormic acid microfluidic fuel cell was proposed by Choban et al.,i nw hich formic acid was as the fuel and oxygen dissolved in as olution of sulfuric acid acted as the oxidant.[18] Sun et al. developed af ormic acidpotassium permanganate colaminar flow fuel cell, which could output am aximum power of about 0.6 mW cm À2 . [19] In addition, H 2 (aq;s at)-O 2 (a...

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The potential for microfluidics in electrochemical energy systems

Abstract: Energy storage technologies based on microfluidic electrochemical devices show optimal conversion efficiencies, and have potential to reach large-scale applications.

Cited by 81 publications

References 57 publications

Inertial manipulation of bubbles in rectangular microfluidic channels

Inertial manipulation of bubbles in rectangular microfluidic channels

From Extended Nanofluidics to an Autonomous Solar‐Light‐Driven Micro Fuel‐Cell Device

A Paper‐Based Microfluidic Fuel Cell with Hydrogen Peroxide as Fuel and Oxidant

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