Biomaterial Database

Microfluidic biofuel cells: the influence of electrode diffusion layer on performance. 2007

Keng Guan Lim, and G Tayhas R Palmore

Division of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.

Microfluidic biofuel cells exploit the lack of convective mixing at low Reynolds number to eliminate the need for a physical membrane to separate fuel from oxidant. This paper demonstrates how the length and spacing of electrodes within a microchannel, and thus thickness of the diffusion layer, affects the performance of a microfluidic biofuel cell. It was found that splitting a single electrode into two (or more) smaller electrodes and separating them by a distance equal to three times their length prevents the continuous increase in thickness of a diffusion layer. This change results in a 25% increase in maximum power density compared to a single electrode device with identical electroactive area. Furthermore, we found that the maximum current density of a microfluidic biofuel cell operated with different electrode configurations (i.e., length of cathode) closely matches that predicted by theory.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D004566	Electrodes	Electric conductors through which electric currents enter or leave a medium, whether it be an electrolytic solution, solid, molten mass, gas, or vacuum.	Anode,Anode Materials,Cathode,Cathode Materials,Anode Material,Anodes,Cathode Material,Cathodes,Electrode,Material, Anode,Material, Cathode
D004867	Equipment Design	Methods and patterns of fabricating machines and related hardware.	Design, Equipment,Device Design,Medical Device Design,Design, Medical Device,Designs, Medical Device,Device Design, Medical,Device Designs, Medical,Medical Device Designs,Design, Device,Designs, Device,Designs, Equipment,Device Designs,Equipment Designs
D001674	Bioelectric Energy Sources	Electric power supply devices which convert biological energy, such as chemical energy of metabolism or mechanical energy of periodic movements, into electrical energy.	Power Sources, Bioelectric,Biobatteries,Biofuel Cells,Microbial Fuel Cells,Biobattery,Bioelectric Energy Source,Bioelectric Power Source,Bioelectric Power Sources,Biofuel Cell,Cell, Biofuel,Cell, Microbial Fuel,Cells, Biofuel,Cells, Microbial Fuel,Energy Source, Bioelectric,Energy Sources, Bioelectric,Fuel Cell, Microbial,Fuel Cells, Microbial,Microbial Fuel Cell,Power Source, Bioelectric,Source, Bioelectric Energy,Source, Bioelectric Power,Sources, Bioelectric Energy,Sources, Bioelectric Power
D044085	Microfluidics	The study of fluid channels and chambers of tiny dimensions of tens to hundreds of micrometers and volumes of nanoliters or picoliters. This is of interest in biological MICROCIRCULATION and used in MICROCHEMISTRY and INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUES.	Microfluidic
D019544	Equipment Failure Analysis	The evaluation of incidents involving the loss of function of a device. These evaluations are used for a variety of purposes such as to determine the failure rates, the causes of failures, costs of failures, and the reliability and maintainability of devices.	Materials Failure Analysis,Prosthesis Failure Analysis,Analysis, Equipment Failure,Analysis, Materials Failure,Analysis, Prosthesis Failure,Analyses, Equipment Failure,Analyses, Materials Failure,Analyses, Prosthesis Failure,Equipment Failure Analyses,Failure Analyses, Equipment,Failure Analyses, Materials,Failure Analyses, Prosthesis,Failure Analysis, Equipment,Failure Analysis, Materials,Failure Analysis, Prosthesis,Materials Failure Analyses,Prosthesis Failure Analyses