Monolithically integrated micro fuel cells for on-chip power generation

Lopez-Montesinos, Pedro O.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/24431 Copy

Description

Title

Monolithically integrated micro fuel cells for on-chip power generation

Author(s)

Lopez-Montesinos, Pedro O.

Issue Date

2011-05-25T14:37:13Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Kenis, Paul J.A.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Kenis, Paul J.A.

Committee Member(s)

• Miley, George H.
• Rao, Christopher V.
• Harley, Brendan A.

Department of Study

Chemical & Biomolecular Engr

Discipline

Chemical Engineering

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Micro-fuel cell
• Monolithic
• Planar
• Membraneless
• Laminar flow
• Formic Acid

Abstract

The portable technology has emerged with miniature, highly integrated consumer electronics with multi-tasking capability in part enabled by recent advances in wireless communication and data transmission. Similarly, the next generation of autonomous microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is expected to perform in the diverse arenas of medicine, environmental sciences, and engineering. These new power demands have fostered the development of high energy density micro-fuel cells that can be integrated into these devices, while preserving their latitude and portability (Chapter 1). Monolithic integration offers the possibility of cofabricating micro-fuel cells along with other electronic components on the same chip to enable overall device miniaturization, weight and cost reduction, and improved signal integrity. However, to achieve such a method of integration, the cells must be built conform to the microfabrication technologies for integrated circuits (IC) and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) standards. Therefore, key challenges, such as the incompatibility of fuel cell materials (e.g., perfluorosulfonic acid polymer membrane, carbon-based layers) with the aforementioned technologies, and integration issues must be overcome (Chapter 2). In this work, we present the design, fabrication, and characterization of an on-chip monolithically integrated micro-fuel cell. By omitting the integration of the proton exchange membrane (PEM), the design resulted in a planar, IC-compatible micro laminar flow fuel cell (μLFFC) suitable for on-chip power (Chapter 3). The principles of any working micro-fuel cell are of strongly coupled, non-linear multiphysics nature. Therefore, the change of one operating parameter (e.g., reactant concentration, flow rate) may induce a chain of physicochemical and electrochemical events that produces a non-obvious impact in overall micro-fuel cell integrity, performance, and efficiency. We have developed a fully-coupled numerical model that includes all transport processes and electrochemical phenomena that occur within an operating micro-fuel cell. The model is useful to design, characterize, and optimize LFFCs (Chapter 4). While the microfabrication lines and integration approaches presented herein have proven that laminar flow (membraneless) fuel cells can be monolithically integrated for on-chip power, the modeling efforts can predict performance upfront for step-wise design of superior cells.

Graduation Semester

2011-05

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/24431

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2011 Pedro O. López-Montesinos

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