Volume 19: Sustainable Energy Solutions for a Post-COVID Recovery towards a Better Future: Part II

Experimental study on the effects of Nafion content and distribution in catalyst layer on paper-based microfluidic fuel cell Jicheng Ma, Yun Chen, Fuqiang Bai, Qing Du, Kui Jiao, Zhi Liu

Abstract

In recent years, the diagnostic and sensing field has put forward higher requirements for portable, sustainable and clean power sources for small electronic devices, which promoted the research and development of new micropower sources. Paper-based microfluidic fuel cell (PMFC) has gradually become the most promising micro power source because of its simple structure, low cost and zero pollution. In this paper, we have studied the effect of Nafion content in catalyst layer on the output performance of PMFC, and further explored the reaction mechanism of PMFC under different Nafion solution distribution. The results show that using the catalyst layer prepared by mixing 0.4 mL Nafion solution will produce a higher maximum current density and peak power density. Additionally, with a constant amount of Nafion solution, the prepared catalyst layer with extra 0.2 mL Nafion solution spraying on its surface can greatly reduce the starting time without affecting the performance of the fuel cell.

Keywords PMFC, Nafion solution, Ion transport, performance