Microfluidic Microbacterial Fuel Cell Chips and Related Optimization Methods
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Authors
Kartalov, Emil Paskalev
Nguyen, Tricia
Arias-Thode
Arias-Thode, Yolanda Meriah
Subjects
Advisors
Date of Issue
2023-01-24
Date
Publisher
The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US)
Language
en_US
Abstract
Benthic microbial biofuel cells (BMFCs) are a potential
non-toxic and renewable source of underwater power.
BMFCs function by coupling an anaerobic anode to an
oxygenated cathode. However, current in-situ BMFCs on
average produce less than 1W of power. Potential causes are
internal ohmic resistance and low capture efficiency of the
bacteria-generated charge due to macroscopic average distances
between bacteria and electrodes.
A microfluidic BMFC chip is enclosed to study those
potential causes. The chip is built using elastomer microfluidics
to provide biologically-inert microfluidic confinement
of the bacteria, forcing them to be no further away than
the height of the containment microchamber ( .. 90 μm) from
the microelectrode matrix built on the glass substrate of the
chip. The matrix captures the charge without location bias
(due to its H-architecture) and conducts it to the outside
circuit. The microfluidic chip system can be used as an
evaluation station to optimize biological parameters, geometry,
and electrode scaling towards increased power. That would lead to the development of an optimized power unit
that can then be arrayed to build renewable power stations
in maritime environments.
Type
Patent
Description
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Format
10 p.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.