Journal
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS A-PHYSICAL
Volume 123-24, Issue -, Pages 497-504Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA
DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2005.03.069
Keywords
MEMS; micro fuel cell; medical applications; bio-compatibility; passive pump
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The design, fabrication and testing of an orientation independent, self-priming micro direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) is presented. The electrodes of the fuel cell are fabricated using macro-porous silicon technology. The capillary force generated by the pores has the ability of wicking the fuel towards the electrode irrespective of the orientation of the cell, resulting in a uniform and regulated supply of the fuel (ethanol/water mixture). The porous silicon structure also serves as a built-in fuel storage reservoir. The porous silicon substrate is platinized to create the electrodes and integrated with Nafion (R) 115 membrane to build the micro fuel cell stack. The cell performance tests indicate an open circuit voltage (OCV) of 260 mV and a maximum power density of 8.1 mW/cm(2) at room temperature (23 degrees C), with a fuel supply of 5 mu L, 8.5 M ethanol solution. Unlike most micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) DEFCs, changes in orientation of this cell have minimal effect on the output voltage/power thus eliminating the need for an active fuel pump. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available