Figure 1 Schematic diagram of carbon neutralization by H2O2 paper fuel cell
An effective approach to neutralizing carbon in the ambient environment is to develop renewable green energy sources to meet the rapidly increasing energy demands. Fuel cells are one of the most promising options. Among various fuels, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) attracts attention as it chemically stores hydrogen and produces only water but no greenhouse gases. Herein, an H2O2 paper fuel cell with an innovative architecture has been developed to achieve high performance and long lifetime, and a pumping system is not required. H2O2 was employed as both the fuel and oxidant, HCl and KOH solutions were used as the supporting catholyte and anolyte, respectively. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) modified PB (PB/CNT) served as the cathode material in the acidic catholyte, while Ni foam performed as the anode in the alkaline anolyte. A low-cost hydrogel was place in between the paper channels, which helps the fuel cell achieve a high open-circuit voltage of 1 V, and a peak power density of 10.2 mW cm-2. Moreover, this gel-aided fuel cell is appealing to practical applications for its immediate re-activation ability upon refueling and excellent durability, which can be continuously discharged for 3.6 h, 3.0 h, and 2.0 h at 1 mA cm-2, 2 mA cm-2, and 5 mA cm-2 with a small amount of 1.8 mL fuel, respectively. Also, stacks of this paper fuel cell could be assembled to provide higher voltage and power so that this paper fuel cell could be implemented in a wide variety of applications. Since H2O2 is not toxic, bio-compatible, and user-friendly, it can be applied in many scenarios such as package tracking, toys, and instant medical care diagnoses. By utilizing this fuel cell, carbon emissions could be greatly reduced without compromising energy consumption.
Figure 1 Schematic diagram of carbon neutralization by H2O2 paper fuel cell
Figure 2 Schematic diagram of H2O2 paper fuel cell