• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.829-835
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• 2010

This paper presents a disposable power generator for microfluidic devices; the power generator has a tubular PEMFC and a $H_2$ generator. The tubular PEMFC has a tubular MEA (diameter: 1.52 mm) that is supported by a spiral wire electrode. The $H_2$ generator supplied $H_2$ to the tubular PEMFC; $H_2$ was generated via the reaction of Al foil (27 mg) and 5 M NaOH (0.12 ml). The open circuit voltage and power density of a unit cell of the tubular PEMFC were 0.81 V and $16.4\;mW/cm^2$ (0.35 V), respectively. The $H_2$ generator generated 11.6 ml $H_2$ for 15min. The power generator was continuously operated for 15 min at 0.64 mW (0.71 V) and for 10 min at 1.06 mW (0.46 V). We experimentally verified that it is feasible to use the proposed power generator as a power source for microfluidic devices; in the experiment, an LED (2.5 mW; 1.8 V) was lit for 10 min by using three serially connected TPEMFCs and one $H_2$ generator.