Single-step inkjet-printed paper-origami arrayed air-breathing microfluidic microbial fuel cell and its validation

Microfluidic paper based microbial fuel cells (mP-MFCs) have gained considerable popularity due to their compact, quick and low-cost fluid manipulation paradigm. Compared to conventional technologies, paper as a substrate with advanced nanomaterial electrode material has many distinct advantages from point-of-care monitoring to energy harvesting. As a result, these have been used and are more popular in a variety of fields, such as health diagnostics, environmental and food quality management. By this encouragement, herein a portable microbial fuel cell as an origami array has been demonstrated using custom carbon electrodes with a modified the transition metal oxide MnO2 nanomaterial. This customized electrode design was first printed using a tabletop PCB inkjet printer where the anode was further modified with synthesized MnO2 nanoparticles. The entire cell was formed by folding the paper along predefined edges where the fuel, Shewanella putrefaciens, was streamed continuously via inherent capillary cation. Various studies, such as morphological, surface catalyst coating, amount loading and volumetric culture optimization experiments, have also been accomplished to find the most appropriate optimum parameter to enhance power conversion efficiency. The developed origami arrayed microbial fuel generated an open-circuit potential (OCP) for two parallel connected MFCs of 0.534 V and a maximum power density of 15.9 mW/cm(2) with a maximum current density of 130 mA/cm(2). In the end, the harvested power was used by powering the digital watch circuit through the ultra-low DC-DC booster board. Such an MFC origami array, with simple electrode manufacturing and modification process, has a great potential and bright future in Internet of Things (IoT) applications by making multiple stacks where the data can be monitored. (C) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Microfluidic paper-based microbial fuel cells (mP-MFCs) have gained popularity for their compact, quick, and low-cost fluid manipulation. With customized electrode design and modification, these fuel cells have the potential for enhanced efficiency and applications in various fields.