Paper-Based Disposable Zinc-Vanadium Fuel Cell for Micropower Applications

The emergence properties of paper as the ionic conductor has driven the new development in energy generators mainly micro-nano scale energy. Instead of the flow channels in conventional fuel cells, the capillary action of the paper controls the flow of the electrolytes. Paper based biofuel cells and electrochemical fuel cells are recent trends in micro-nano power generation to support the biosensors. In this study, zinc fuel and VO2+ oxidant were used to form a membraneless fuel cell. Instead of membrane, Whatmann (R) 2 filter paper was used as the separator cum autonomous microfluidic pumping system. When 6 M KOH and 1.5 M VO2+in 2.5 M H2SO4 were supplied on the anode and cathode respectively, a peak power density of 9.4 mW cm(-2) at 1.21 V and open circuit voltage of similar to 2.5 V were realized. Due to the low cost and high power associated with this system, it can be used to power the Lab-on-Chip devices employed for single use point-of-care applications.