Toward geometrical design improvement of membraneless fuel cells: Numerical study

García-Cuevas, Rafael Abraham; Cervantes, Ilse; Arriaga, L.G.; Diaz-Diaz, Irwin A.

doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2013.09.014

Cited by 18 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Both of these facts point to the accessibility of the technology as an inexpensive lab-scale analytical platform for evaluating electrochemical materials and processes. Lacking the membranes of conventional electrochemical cells, these simpler CLFCs have also been the subject of several numerical investigations [47], [49], [51], [59]- [74], [89], [102], [103], [132], [140]- [152], though few of the suggestions coming from these studies, such as tapering of the centre channel, have been experimentally verified. Another unexpected but logical avenue for these simple and inexpensive devices is as educational materials for demonstrating microfluidic and electrochemical concepts, particularly for co-laminar flow cells with transparent 'on-chip' fabrication style and colourful reactants [153].…”

Section: Research Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-laminar flow cells for electrochemical energy conversion

Goulet

Kjeang

2014

Journal of Power Sources

104

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A recently developed class of electrochemical cell based on co-laminar flow of reactants through porous electrodes is investigated. New architectures are designed and assessed for fuel recirculation and rechargeable battery operation.Extensive characterization of cells is performed to determine most sources of voltage loss during operation. To this end, a specialized flow cell technique is developed to mitigate mass transport limitations and measure kinetic rates of reaction on flow-through porous electrodes. This technique is used in in conjunction with cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to evaluate different treatments for enhancing the rates of vanadium redox reactions on carbon paper electrodes. It is determined that surface area enhancements are the most effective way for increasing redox reaction rates and thus a novel in situ flowing deposition method is conceived to achieve this objective at minimal cost. It is demonstrated that flowing deposition of carbon nanotubes can increase the electrochemical surface area of carbon paper by over an order of magnitude. It is also demonstrated that flowing deposition can be achieved dynamically during cell operation, leading to considerably improved kinetics and mass transport properties. To take full advantage of this deposition method, the total ohmic resistance of the cell is considerably reduced through design optimization with reduced channel width, integration of current collectors and reduction of reactant concentration. With electrodes enhanced by dynamic flowing deposition the cell presented in this study demonstrates nearly a fourfold improvement in power density over the baseline design.Producing more than twice the power density of the leading co-laminar flow cell without the use of catalysts or elevated temperatures and pressures, this cell provides a lowcost standard for further research into system scale-up and implementation of co-laminar flow cell technology. More generally, the experimental technique and deposition method developed in this work are expected to find broader use in other fields of electrochemical energy conversion. am also very grateful to my graduate colleagues at SFU and friends in FCRel, with a special mention to Omar in particular, for all the pleasant conversations and good times.I wish there had been more.Last but not least, I'd like to acknowledge all the family and friends I was unable to spend quality time with due to this work. I look forward to seeing you all again.vi Tables Table 1. for their higher specific energy and energy density [6]. For the same reasons, the lower power (< 100 W) market which is driven by portable consumer electronics, is currently 2 dominated by closed cell lithium ion batteries in particular [7]. As these batteries reach their limits and fail to keep up with the energy requirements of modern electronics, micro fuel cells with passively pumped higher energy density liquid reactants such as methanol have been suggested as a potential replacement [8].Regardless...

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Section: Research Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-laminar flow cells for electrochemical energy conversion

Goulet

Kjeang

2014

Journal of Power Sources

104

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“…1 Such fuel cells offer an unique advantage to generate energy by electrochemical redox reactions without the use of a physical membrane to transfer protons between the two reactants, i.e. [15][16][17] Salloum et al reported an MFC with a counter flow of vanadium-based fuel as the reactant. 2 Typically, a membrane-less micro fuel cell (MFC) is equipped with a microchannel with two inlets for coflowing of fuel and oxidant in a laminar fashion with an interface between them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[12][13][14] Similarly, the flow field in a membrane-less MFC is also a key parameter to maintain the segregation between the two reactants and limit the diffusion. [15][16][17] Salloum et al reported an MFC with a counter flow of vanadium-based fuel as the reactant. 13 A similar design has been adopted by Xu et al using formic acid as fuel for energy generation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A spiral shaped regenerative microfluidic fuel cell with Ni‐C based porous electrodes

et al. 2019

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Summary Microchannel geometry, electrode surface area, and better fuel utilization are important aspects of the performance of a microfluidic fuel cell (MFC). In this communication, a membraneless spiral‐shaped MFC fabricated with Ni as anode and C as a cathode supported over a porous filter paper substrate is presented. Vanadium oxychloride and dilute sulfuric acid solutions are used as fuel and electrolyte, respectively, in this fuel cell system. The device generates a maximum open‐circuit voltage of ~1.2 V, while the maximum energy density and current density generated from the fuel cell are ~10 mW cm−2 and ~51 mA cm−2, respectively. The cumulative energy density generated from the device after five cycles are measured as ~200 mW after regeneration of the fuel by applying external voltage. The spiral design of the fuel cell enables improved fuel utilization, rapid diffusive transport of ions, and in‐situ regeneration of the fuel. The present self‐standing spiral‐shaped MFC will eliminate the challenges associated with two inlet membrane‐less fuel cells and has the potential to scale up for commercial application in portable energy generation.

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“…Their low toxicity when compared to CH 3 OH, higher boiling points, and comparable energy density make them interesting candidates for electro-oxidation. Other reported fuels which also benefit from dense liquid phase storage and transportation include formic acid, ,− formate, ,− hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), − sodium borohydride, − hydrazine, ,, and urea. , Many biofuels such as glucose and lactate have also been directly used as fuel or harvested from sample analytes. − Furthermore, some authors have explored the possibility of interchangeably feeding the same cell with different aforementioned fuels, proving the μFC capability of being fuel-flexible. ,, Maya-Cornejo et al showed a multifuel membraneless nanofluidic fuel cell based on Cu@Pd catalysts for the successful oxidation of methanol, ethanol, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and a mixture of fuels together (Figure a) . Lastly, some works have also utilized solid metals as anodes such as aluminum ,− or zinc …”

Section: Devices and Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microfluidics for Electrochemical Energy Conversion

et al. 2022

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Electrochemical energy conversion is an important supplement for storage and on-demand use of renewable energy. In this regard, microfluidics offers prospects to raise the efficiency and rate of electrochemical energy conversion through enhanced mass transport, flexible cell design, and ability to eliminate the physical ion-exchange membrane, an essential yet costly element in conventional electrochemical cells. Since the 2002 invention of the microfluidic fuel cell, the research field of microfluidics for electrochemical energy conversion has expanded into a great variety of cell designs, fabrication techniques, and device functions with a wide range of utility and applications. The present review aims to comprehensively synthesize the best practices in this field over the past 20 years. The underlying fundamentals and research methods are first summarized, followed by a complete assessment of all research contributions wherein microfluidics was proactively utilized to facilitate energy conversion in conjunction with electrochemical cells, such as fuel cells, flow batteries, electrolysis cells, hybrid cells, and photoelectrochemical cells. Moreover, emerging technologies and analytical tools enabled by microfluidics are also discussed. Lastly, opportunities for future research directions and technology advances are proposed.

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Toward geometrical design improvement of membraneless fuel cells: Numerical study

Cited by 18 publications

References 20 publications

Co-laminar flow cells for electrochemical energy conversion

Co-laminar flow cells for electrochemical energy conversion

A spiral shaped regenerative microfluidic fuel cell with Ni‐C based porous electrodes

Microfluidics for Electrochemical Energy Conversion

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