High-performance H2O2 paper fuel cell boosted via electrolyte toning and radical generation

Abstract

Cellulose paper has been employed to develop pumpless microfluidic fuel cells. Meanwhile, hydrogen peroxide as both the fuel and oxidant has attracted attention since it is eco-friendly for producing only water. However, low open-circuit voltage (OCV) and power density of reported H2O2 fuel cells due to the mixed potentials (simultaneous oxidation and reduction at the same electrode) preclude its applications. In this study, a H2O2 paper fuel cell with a gel-aided dual-electrolyte configuration has been proposed for the first time to solve this problem. An ion-conductive hydrogel has been sandwiched between the independent catholyte and anolyte flows to serve as part of the electrolyte. Its OCV has been elevated to 1 V and a high peak power density of 10.2 mW cm−2 has been achieved by toning the electrolytes, which exceeds most reported H2O2 fuel cells. The results demonstrate that alkaline anolyte benefits the cell performance more significantly than acidic catholyte does. The reaction mechanism at each electrode was further studied to provide insights for future development of H2O2 fuel cells: the reduction at the cathode follows the Fenton reaction; as for the oxidation at the anode, it was first revealed that H2O2 oxidation was facilitated by free radicals generated from H2O2 in alkaline media. Besides, the radicals also help to maintain a large voltage difference between the electrodes. Furthermore, this fuel cell shows great durability and can be instantly re-activated upon refueling. This gel-aided dual-electrolyte fuel cell design can pave a way for practical applications of direct H2O2 fuel cells.