Abstract
We fabricated a micropump with a polyimide (PI) diaphragm (53 μm thick, 7 mm diameter) on a silicon chip using microfabrication processes, and a glucose biofuel cell was inserted into the fluid chamber of the micropump. The biofuel cell was fabricated on another PI film, with glucose oxidase immobilized on its porous carbon anode and bilirubin oxidase immobilized on the porous carbon cathode. Each semicircular electrode area was 14.1 mm2 with a radius of 3 mm, and the gap between the anode and cathode was 1 mm. The device generated electricity by feeding an aqueous solution of glucose directly onto the electrodes in the micropump chamber. The maximum generated power, 0.076 μW at 98 mV, corresponding to a power density of 0.556 μW/cm2, was realized when a 100 mM glucose solution was introduced under diaphragm pressures alternating between 0 and 30 kPa at a pumping frequency of 3 Hz. A longer power generation lifetime was observed under fuel flow driven by micropump operation.
