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Fabrication and evaluation of a passive SU8-based micro direct glucose fuel cell

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Abstract

A passive micro direct glucose fuel cell (μDGFC) using SU8-current collector structures of 8 × 14 mm with a grid that allows the delivery of the reagents to the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) by diffusion and with dimensions of ~ 200 × ~ 180 μm were fabricated by a UV-lithography technique. The SU8-current collectors were coated with Au to provide electric conductivity; a passive μDGFC was set by sandwiching an MEA between two SU8-current collectors and placed between two methacrylate pieces. The electrocatalysts consisted of commercial Au/C as anode and Pt/C as cathode. μDGFC characterization was done by measuring the polarization curves at a glucose concentration close to that found in human blood. The maximum power density achieved was ~ 0.30 mW cm−2 using 5 mM glucose as fuel and oxygen delivered from air as an oxidant. The passive micro fuel cell showed a constant current density for 30 min at a potential of 0.3 V corresponding to the maximum power density.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge CONACYT for financial support through “Cátedras CONACyT” project 513 and project FOMIX 279788. The author ALV thanks the Universidad de Antioquia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, 31136, Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico

    D. Dector & A. Duarte-Moller

  2. Universidad Tecnológica de San Juan del Río, 76800, San Juan del Río, Querétaro, Mexico

    J. M. Olivares-Ramírez

  3. Coordinación Académica Región Altiplano (COARA), Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San José de las Trojes, 78700, Matehuala, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

    V. M. Ovando-Medina

  4. Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, facultad de Química, 76010, Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico

    A. Sosa Dominguez

  5. Facultad de Ingeniería, Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Grupo de Investigación de Catálisis Ambiental, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín, 1226, Colombia

    A. L. Villa

  6. Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain

    N. Sabaté

  7. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona, IMB-CNM (CSIC), Campus UAB, 08193, Barcelona, Spain

    N. Sabaté & J. P. Esquivel

  8. CONACYT, Universidad Tecnológica de San Juan del Río, 76800, San Juan del Río, Querétaro, Mexico

    A. Dector

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  1. D. Dector
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  2. J. M. Olivares-Ramírez
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  3. V. M. Ovando-Medina
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  4. A. Sosa Dominguez
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  5. A. L. Villa
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  6. A. Duarte-Moller
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  7. N. Sabaté
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  8. J. P. Esquivel
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  9. A. Dector
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Correspondence to A. Dector.

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Dector, D., Olivares-Ramírez, J.M., Ovando-Medina, V.M. et al. Fabrication and evaluation of a passive SU8-based micro direct glucose fuel cell. Microsyst Technol 25, 211–216 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-018-3950-y

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