Biological fuel cell portable

Many potential applications are under study. Miniature chemical reactors could be used for portable applications in which they provide advantages of rapid startup and shutdown and of increased safety (intensification by requiring only small quantities of hazardous materials). The development of chip-scale chemical and biological analysis systems has the potential to reduce the time and cost associated with conventional laboratory methods. These devices could be used as portable analysis systems for detection of hazardous chemicals in air and water. There is considerable interest in using a microreactor to provide in situ production of hydrogen for small-scale fuel-cell power applications by conducting a reformation reaction from some liquid hydrocarbon raw material (e.g., methanol). 

The fundamental importance of proton transfer (PT) in biology [94-99], and in the development of polymer electrolyte fuel cells for vehicle and portable applications [100,101], continues to press for a deeper imderstand-ing of PT mechanisms in hydrogen-bonded systems. 

Miniaturized fuel cells are an attractive candidate for next-generation portable power sources. A microfluidic fuel cell is defined as a fuel cell with smaU-scale channels, typically submiUimeter in height, in which reactant delivery/removal and electrochemical energy conversion take place. This type of fuel cell can be incorporated with both metalhc and biological catalysts and normally operates without a physical barrier between anode and cathode compartments. Micromachined fuel cells employing ion-conducting membranes are not covered in this entry. 

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