Fuel Cells
Fuel Cells
5 years ago

Fluid Dynamic Modeling for Microbial Fuel Cell Based Biosensor Optimization

M. Quaglio, M. Gerosa, A. Cingolani, G. Massaglia, G. Saracco, V. Margaria, A. Sacco, V. Agostino
The present work investigates the fluid dynamic distribution in two different geometries of Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs), a squared shape MFC and a drop-like one, and explores their use as possible biosensors. For both architectures, air-cathode single chamber microbial fuel cells (SCMFCs) with an inner volume of 12.5 mL have been developed. Simulations based on Navier-Stokes equations were used to investigate the motion of fluid, i.e., the electrolyte, inside the MFCs. The aim was to define the effective exposed area for each introduced architecture, and to correlate this parameter to the variation of the device performances in terms of current densities, together with their response to the variation of sodium acetate concentration. For this purpose, the fluid dynamic simulations have been implemented using two different flow rate values, namely, 12.5 mL h−1 and 100 mL h−1. The experimental amperometric response of drop-like SCMFCs and squared shape SCMFCs, fabricated by 3D printing, have been correlated with the variation of sodium acetate concentration and the relative sensitivity analyzed. The optimized drop-like SCMFC showed the better behavior, with an effective concentration of sodium acetate close to the nominal one and an improved sensitivity for high flow rates.

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi

DOI: 10.1002/fuce.201700026

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