The Influence of Microfluidic Channel Wettability on PEM Carbon Paper Fuel Cell

2016 ◽  
pp. 499-532
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Microfluidic Channel ◽  
Carbon Paper

A Parametric Study on Microfluidic Vanadium Fuel Cells

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin wook Lee ◽  
Deepak Krishnamurthy ◽  
Peter Hsiao ◽  
Erik Kjeang
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Porous Carbon ◽  
Fluid Velocity ◽  
Microfluidic Channel ◽  
Porous Electrodes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Carbon Paper ◽  
Cell Design ◽  
Channel Network

A parametric variation of microfluidic vanadium fuel cells is studied. The present membraneless and catalyst-free fuel cell consists of a microfluidic channel network with two porous carbon paper electrodes. An aqueous vanadium redox pair as reactants is supplied to the porous electrodes in a flow-through configuration. The dimensions of porous carbon electrodes and microchannels are varied from the baseline design to investigate their impacts on the fuel cell performance. In addition, a dependency on the number of electrical contacts is examined. Numerical simulations are performed in parallel with experimental activities to understand the coupled effects of mass transport, electrochemistry, electron conduction, and fluid velocity field. The simulation results are compared with the measured data from each cell design for verification. An optimal cell design is discussed based on the current study and future research opportunities were proposed.

scholarly journals Transport Parameter Correlations for Digitally Created PEFC Gas Diffusion Layers by Using OpenPNM

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1141
Author(s):  
Ángel Encalada-Dávila ◽  
Mayken Espinoza-Andaluz ◽  
Julio Barzola-Monteses ◽  
Shian Li ◽  
Martin Andersson
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Transport Phenomena ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell ◽  
Carbon Paper ◽  
Transport Parameter ◽  
Transport Parameters ◽  
Depth Analysis

A polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) is an electrochemical device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy and heat. The energy conversion is simple; however, the multiphysics phenomena involved in the energy conversion process must be analyzed in detail. The gas diffusion layer (GDL) provides a diffusion media for reactant gases and gives mechanical support to the fuel cell. It is a complex medium whose properties impact the fuel cell’s efficiency. Therefore, an in-depth analysis is required to improve its mechanical and physical properties. In the current study, several transport phenomena through three-dimensional digitally created GDLs have been analyzed. Once the porous microstructure is generated and the transport phenomena are mimicked, transport parameters related to the fluid flow and mass diffusion are computed. The GDLs are approximated to the carbon paper represented as a grouped package of carbon fibers. Several correlations, based on the fiber diameter, to predict their transport properties are proposed. The digitally created GDLs and the transport phenomena have been modeled using the open-source library named Open Pore Network Modeling (OpenPNM). The proposed correlations show a good fit with the obtained data with an R-square of approximately 0.98.

Effects of Electrode Materials on Electricity of Microbial Fuel Cell

2011 ◽  
Vol 183-185 ◽  
pp. 1549-1552
Author(s):  
Yong Juan Zhang ◽  
Zhang Min ◽  
Zheng Yang ◽  
Jing Yi Xie ◽  
Yong Feng Li
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cell ◽  
Power Density ◽  
Electrode Material ◽  
Output Voltage ◽  
Electrode Materials ◽  
General Trend ◽  
Important Influence ◽  
Carbon Paper

The electrode material has the very important influence to the microbial fuel cell. The different electrode materials were studied for producing the electricity performance to MFC by the activated sludge as the substrate. The results indicated that the anode of graphite pole was 0.63 mW/cm2 of the area power density. The carbon paper was 60 (0.50mW/cm2). Carbon paper 90 was 0.23mW/cm2. Although having the biggest area power density, the general trend of the graphite pole is much lower than others and production of the electricity was not good. Even though the maximum of area power density of graphite pole, it might be the reason for increasing nutritive compound and elevation of temperature. The carbon paper 90 produce the area power density is the steadiest among three poles and its output voltage is a quite stable and low. MFC is excellent under carbon paper 90. The area power density had strong fluctuating scope, the power density is big and the overall value is high under carbon paper 60.

Effect of Metal Modification to Carbon Paper Anodes on the Performance of Yeast-Based Microbial Fuel Cells Part Ι: In the Case without Exogenous Mediator

2013 ◽  
Vol 534 ◽  
pp. 76-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enas Taha Kasem ◽  
Takuya Tsujiguchi ◽  
Nobuyoshi Nakagawa
Keyword(s):  
Electron Transfer ◽  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Thin Layer ◽  
Electrode Surface ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Carbon Paper ◽  
Electrode Potentials ◽  
Different Thickness

Effect of modification of carbon paper with a thin layer of cobalt or gold on the performance of yeast-based microbial fuel cells was investigated. The modification was conducted by depositing Co or Au thin layer with different thickness, 5 nm and 30 nm, using a sputtering technique. The electrode performance was evaluated by measuring the electrode potentials and the fuel cell power output. The Co modification significantly increased the performance of the fuel cell, while the Au modification inhibited the performance. SEM observation indicated that the adhesion density of the yeast cells on the electrode surface was affected by the metals. It was confirmed that the electron transfer took place through the surface confined species at the mediatorless anode.

Fast Design and Manufactured on Complex Flow Channel by Rapid Prototyping for Air-Breathing Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Hsiang Lai ◽  
Cheng Yu Chen ◽  
Ming-Chang Chou
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Rapid Prototyping ◽  
Power Density ◽  
Structure Design ◽  
Carbon Paper ◽  
Complex Flow ◽  
Air Breathing ◽  
Prototype Development ◽  
Assembly Method ◽  
Serial Connection

The miniature and air-breathing fuel cell has become the globally major design concepts of fuel cell development recently. In this paper, the authors used 3-D drafting software for fast design and utilize rapid prototyping (RP) technology to accelerate the prototype development of new stack designs and optimize the assembly method. A fast design and convenient manufacture tool, i.e., rapid prototyping, has been first successfully applied to the fabrication of the complicated flow channels of both DMFC and PEMFC in this paper. The honeycomb shape methanol reservoir and honeycomb cathode structure design of DMFC and a complex flow distributor design of mono-polar PEMFC stack, which are almost impossibly manufactured by traditional CNC manufacturing, is fabricated by rapid prototyping technology and illustrated for the extraordinary advantages of RP technology. This paper shows that the fast design and manufacture characteristics are more important for the feasibility study of a complicated structure and any new design ideas. Although the performance of air-breathing pseudo-polar DMFC is only 2.16 mW/cm2 in peak power density by using 50% of hydrophobic carbon paper; this poor performance is resort to the MEA of DMFC is not well prepared. The other example of the power density of 188 mW/cm2 (at 0.425 V) in parallel-connection and 123mW/cm2 (at 4.25V) in serial-connection for the air-breathing mono-polar PEMFC stack are achieved. The performance of the stack is close to the state-of-the-art comparing to recently published literatures [6–9].

High Power Density from Pt Thin Film Electrodes Based Microbial Fuel Cell

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 4132-4134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tushar Sharma ◽  
A. Leela Mohana Reddy ◽  
T. S. Chandra ◽  
S. Ramaprabhu
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cell ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Neutral Red ◽  
Carbon Paper ◽  
Platinum Electrodes ◽  
Electron Mediator ◽  
Coated Carbon

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC) are robust devices capable of taping biological energy, converting sugars into potential sources of energy. Persistent efforts are directed towards increasing power output. However, they have not been researched to the extent of making them competitive with chemical fuel cells. The power generated in a dual-chamber MFC using neutral red (NR) as the electron mediator has been previously shown to be 152.4 mW/m2 at 412.5 mA/m2 of current density. In the present work we show that Pt thin film coated carbon paper as electrodes increase the performance of a microbial fuel cell compared to conventionally employed electrodes. The results obtained using E. coli based microbial fuel cell with methylene blue and neutral red as the electron mediator, potassium ferricyanide in the cathode compartment were systematically studied and the results obtained with Pt thin film coated over carbon paper as electrodes were compared with that of graphite electrodes. Platinum coated carbon electrodes were found to be better over the previously used for microbial fuel cells and at the same time are cheaper than the preferred pure platinum electrodes.

Characteristics of the carbon paper heat-treated to different temperatures and its influence on the performance of PEM fuel cell

2007 ◽  
Vol 52 (14) ◽  
pp. 4809-4817 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.B. Mathur ◽  
Priyanka H. Maheshwari ◽  
T.L. Dhami ◽  
R.P. Tandon
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Carbon Paper ◽  
Heat Treated ◽  
Different Temperatures

In-Plane Microstructure of Gas Diffusion Layers With Different Properties for PEFC

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Mortazavi ◽  
Kazuya Tajiri
Keyword(s):  
Contact Angle ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Pore Diameter ◽  
Gas Transport ◽  
Gas Permeability ◽  
Transport Phenomena ◽  
Gas Diffusion ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell ◽  
Diameter Distribution ◽  
Carbon Paper

Gas diffusion layer (GDL) is undoubtedly one of the most complicated components used in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) in terms of liquid and gas transport phenomena. An appropriate fuel cell design seeks a fundamental study of this tortuous porous component. Currently, porosity and gas permeability have been known as some of the key parameters affecting liquid and gas transport through GDL. Although these are dominant parameters defining mass transport through porous layers, there are still many other factors affecting transport phenomena as well as overall cell performance. In this work, microstructural properties of Toray carbon papers with different thicknesses and for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) treated and untreated cases have been studied based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image analysis. Water droplet contact angle as a dominant macroscale property as well as mean pore diameter, pore diameter distribution, and pore roundness distribution as important microscale properties have been studied. It was observed that the mean pore diameter of Toray carbon paper does not change with its thickness and PTFE content. Mean pore diameter for Toray carbon papers was calculated to be around 26μm regardless of their thicknesses and PTFE content. It was also observed that droplet contact angle on GDL surface does not vary with GDL thickness. The average contact angle for 10 wt.% PTFE treated GDLs of different thicknesses was measured about 150°. Finally, the heterogeneous in-plane PTFE distribution on the GDL surface was observed to have no effect on mean pore diameter of GDLs.

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