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Characterization of a new composite membrane for point of need paper-based micro-scale microbial fuel cell analytical devices.

ABSTRACT: Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can evolve in a viable technology if environmentally sound materials are developed and became available at low cost for these devices. This is especially important not only for the designing of large wastewater treatment systems, but also for the fabrication of low-cost, single-use devices. In this work we synthesized membranes by a simple procedure involving easily-biodegradable and economic materials such as poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), chitosan (CS) and the composite PVA:CS. Membranes were chemical and physically characterized and compared to Nafion®. Performance was studied using the membrane as separator in a typical H-Type MFCs showing that PVA:CS membrane outperform Nafion® 4 times (power production) while being 75 times more economic. We found that performance in MFC depends over interactions among several membrane characteristics such as oxygen permeability and ion conductivity. Moreover, we design a paper-based micro-scale MFC, which was used as a toxicity assay using 16 ?L samples containing formaldehyde as a model toxicant. The PVA:CS membrane presented here can offer low environmental impact and become a very interesting option for point of need single-use analytical devices, especially in low-income countries where burning is used as disposal method, and toxic fluoride fumes (from Nafion®) can be released to the environment.

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez-Pabon MJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6768485 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Characterization of a new composite membrane for point of need paper-based micro-scale microbial fuel cell analytical devices.

González-Pabón María Jesús MJ Figueredo Federico F Martínez-Casillas Diana C DC Cortón Eduardo E

PloS one 20190930 9

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can evolve in a viable technology if environmentally sound materials are developed and became available at low cost for these devices. This is especially important not only for the designing of large wastewater treatment systems, but also for the fabrication of low-cost, single-use devices. In this work we synthesized membranes by a simple procedure involving easily-biodegradable and economic materials such as poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), chitosan (CS) and the composit ...[more]

PMID: 31568487

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Project description:Numerous fabrication methods have been reported for microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) using barrier materials ranging from photoresist to wax. While these methods have been used with wide success, consistently producing small, high-resolution features using materials and methods that are compatible with solvents and surfactants remains a challenge. Two new methods are presented here for generating μPADs with well-defined, high-resolution structures compatible with solvents and surfactant-containing solutions by partially or fully fusing paper with Parafilm® followed by cutting with a CO2 laser cutter. Partial fusion leads to laminated paper (l-paper) while the complete fusion results in infused paper (i-paper). Patterned structures in l-paper were fabricated by selective removal of the paper but not the underlying Parafilm® using a benchtop CO2 laser. Under optimized conditions, a gap as small as 137 ± 22 μm could be generated. Using this approach, a miniaturized paper 384-zone plate, consisting of circular detection elements with a diameter of 1.86 mm, was fabricated in 64 × 43 mm2 area. Furthermore, these ablation-patterned substrates were confirmed to be compatible with surfactant solutions and common organic solvents (methanol, acetonitrile and dimethylformamide), which has been achieved by very few μPAD patterning techniques. Patterns in i-paper were created by completely cutting out zones of the i-paper and then fixing pre-cut paper into these openings similar to the strategy of fitting a jigsaw piece into a puzzle. Upon heating, unmodified paper was readily sealed into these openings due to partial reflow of the paraffin into the paper. This unique and simple bonding method was illustrated by two types of 3D μPADs, a push-on valve and a time-gated flow distributor, without adding adhesive layers. The free-standing jigsaw-patterned sheets showed good structural stability and solution compatibility, which provided a facile alternative method for fabricating complicated μPADs.

Dataset Information

Characterization of a new composite membrane for point of need paper-based micro-scale microbial fuel cell analytical devices.

Publications

Characterization of a new composite membrane for point of need paper-based micro-scale microbial fuel cell analytical devices.

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