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US 9,502,730 B2Granted
Printed biofuel cells
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsJoseph Wang, Joshua Ray Windmiller, Wenzhao Jia
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for implementing a biofuel cell device for extracting energy from a biofuel. In one aspect, a biofuel cell device includes a substrate, an anode including a catalyst to facilitate the conversion of a fuel in a biological fluid in an oxidative process that releases electrons captured at the anode, thereby extracting energy from the fuel substance, a cathode configured on the substrate adjacent to the anode and separated from the anode by a spacing region, and a load electrically coupled to the anode and cathode via electrical interconnects to obtain the extracted energy as electrical energy.
Claims25
A biofuel cell device, comprising:
- a substrate;
- an anode disposed on the substrate of an electrically conductive material, the anode including a catalyst to facilitate the conversion of a fuel substance in a biological fluid to a first product in an oxidative process that releases electrons captured at the anode, thereby extracting energy from the fuel substance;
- a cathode disposed on the substrate adjacent to the anode and separated from the anode by a spacing region, the cathode formed of a material that is electrically conductive and capable of reducing an oxygenated substance in the biological fluid to a second product in a chemical reduction process in which the second product gains electrons;
- and
- a load including one or more electrical circuit elements electrically coupled between the anode and the cathode to obtain the extracted energy as electrical energy;
- wherein one or both of the anode and the cathode includes a carbon-based ink material;
- the device further comprising a first layer and second layer each formed of an electrically conductive material on the substrate and underneath the anode and cathode, respectively, the first layer and second layer separated from one another.
4 more elements
A biofuel cell system, comprising:
- a biofuel cell module, including:
- (i) a container structured to include an opening on a top surface and a hollowed interior to contain a fluid including a fuel substance,
- (ii) an array of biofuel cells formed on a flexible substrate and contained in the container, wherein a biofuel cell of the array includes an anode disposed on the flexible substrate of an electrically conductive material, the anode including a catalyst to facilitate the conversion of the fuel substance to a first product in an oxidative process that releases electrons captured at the anode, thereby extracting energy from the fuel substance, a cathode positioned adjacent to the anode on the flexible substrate and separated from the anode by a spacing region, the cathode including a material that is electrically conductive and capable of reducing an oxygenated substance in the biological fluid to a second product in a chemical reduction process in which the second product gains electrons, and electrical interconnects connecting the anode and the cathode to an anode electrode contact pad and a cathode electrode contact pad, respectively, and
- (iii) a first electrical interface and a second electrical interface in electrical connection with the anode electrode contact pad and the cathode electrode contact pad, respectively;
- and
- a power storage module, including:
- (i) a housing including a releasable attachment component to attach to and detach from the biofuel cell module, wherein the attachment component seals the opening when attached,
- (ii) an electrical storage unit contained within the housing and configured of one or more electrical circuit elements electrically coupled to the first electrical interface and the second electrical interface when the attachment component is attached to the power storage module, the electrical storage unit configured to store the extracted energy as electrical energy, and
- (iii) an electrical outlet configured on an outer surface of the power storage module and electrically coupled to the electrical storage unit, the electrical outlet structured to electrically interface with a device to provide power to the device.
6 more elements
A method to fabricate a biofuel cell, comprising:
- depositing an electrically conductive ink on a substrate to form an anode electrode and a cathode electrode adjacent to and separated from one another, the depositing including printing the ink on a stencil placed over the substrate, the stencil including a patterned region configured in a design of the anode and the cathode to allow transfer of the ink on the substrate, and the stencil inhibiting transfer of the ink in areas outside the patterned region;
- and
- curing the electrically conductive ink to produce a biofuel cell device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.