This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.
Membraneless microfluidic fuel cells (MMFCs) are being studied extensively as an alternative to batteries and conventional membrane fuel cells because of their simple functioning and lower manufacturing cost. MMFCs use the laminar flow of reactant species (fuel and oxidant) to eliminate the electrolyte membrane, which has conventionally been used to isolate anodic and cathodic half-cell reactions. This review article summarizes the MMFCs with six major categories of flow configurations that have been reported from 2002 to 2020. The discussion highlights the critical factors that affect and limit the performance of MMFCs. Since MMFCs are diffusion-limited, most of this review focuses on how different flow configurations act to reduce or modify diffusive mixing and depletion zones to enhance the power density output. Research opportunities are also pointed out, and the challenges in MMFCs are suggested to improve cell performance and make them practical in the near future.
Muhammad Tanveer; Kwang-Yong Kim. Flow Configurations of Membraneless Microfluidic Fuel Cells: A Review. Energies 2021, 14, 3381 .
AMA StyleMuhammad Tanveer, Kwang-Yong Kim. Flow Configurations of Membraneless Microfluidic Fuel Cells: A Review. Energies. 2021; 14 (12):3381.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMuhammad Tanveer; Kwang-Yong Kim. 2021. "Flow Configurations of Membraneless Microfluidic Fuel Cells: A Review." Energies 14, no. 12: 3381.
A laminar flow micro fuel cell comprising of bridge-shaped microchannel is investigated to find out the effects of the cross-section shape of the microchannel on the performance. A parametric study is performed by varying the heights and widths of the channel and bridge shape. Nine different microchannel cross-section shapes are evaluated to find effective microchannel cross-sections by combining three bridge shapes with three channel shapes. A three-dimensional fully coupled numerical model is used to calculate the fuel cell’s performance. Navier-Stokes, convection and diffusion, and Butler-Volmer equations are implemented using the numerical model. A narrow channel with a wide bridge shape shows the best performance among the tested nine cross-sectional shapes, which is increased by about 78% compared to the square channel with the square bridge shape.
Muhammad Tanveer; Kwang-Yong Kim. Effects of Bridge-Shaped Microchannel Geometry on the Performance of a Micro Laminar Flow Fuel Cell. Micromachines 2019, 10, 822 .
AMA StyleMuhammad Tanveer, Kwang-Yong Kim. Effects of Bridge-Shaped Microchannel Geometry on the Performance of a Micro Laminar Flow Fuel Cell. Micromachines. 2019; 10 (12):822.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMuhammad Tanveer; Kwang-Yong Kim. 2019. "Effects of Bridge-Shaped Microchannel Geometry on the Performance of a Micro Laminar Flow Fuel Cell." Micromachines 10, no. 12: 822.