A comprehensive evaluation for microfluidic fuel cells from anti-vibration viewpoint using phase field theory

Microfluidic fuel cell is an underlying clean power in the future, it is regarded as a new developing di-rection of power source in portable electronic device with its considerable power output and cleanness, but some challenges hinder it in putting into practical application. Vibration and two-phase flow are the two non-negligible factors which have an impact on the liquid-feed microfluidic fuel cell, but the internal mechanism is not clear, a mechanism study shall be conducted to analyse the coupling effect on cell characteristic. A biphasic model, in this paper, is established with the integration of vibration effect and bubble dynamics theory. Results illustrate that the increases of vibration intensity and frequency cause the CO2 distortion, and postpone the bubble separation and elimination. The anode activation reaction site is therefore reduced, resulting in the cell performance degeneration. The increased feed liquid flow rates accelerate the bubble behavior and improve the current and power outputs, but the system effi-ciency is sacrificed. Increasing contact angle is a valid approach to the bubble separation and perfor-mance improvement. This study provides a theoretical understanding for the prospective optimisation design via the mechanism study and breaks a new path for novel power source investigation. (C) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Microfluidic fuel cell is considered as a future clean power source, but it faces challenges in practical application, such as the impact of vibration and two-phase flow on cell characteristics. This study establishes a biphasic model that integrates vibration effect and bubble dynamics theory, revealing that vibration distorts CO2 and delays bubble separation, while increasing flow rate improves current and power outputs at the expense of system efficiency.