A high-efficiency DC-DC boost converter for a miniaturized microbial fuel cell

Xu Zhang; Hao Ren; Soonjae Pyo; Jae Ik Lee; Jongbaeg Kim; Junseok Chae

doi:10.1109/TPEL.2014.2323075

A high-efficiency DC-DC boost converter for a miniaturized microbial fuel cell

Xu Zhang
, Hao Ren
, Soonjae Pyo
, Jae Ik Lee
, Jongbaeg Kim
, Junseok Chae

Dept. of Mechanical System and Design Engineering

Arizona State University
Yonsei University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

51 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper presents a high-efficiency dc-dc boost converter to interface a miniaturized 50 μL microbial fuel cell (MFC) having 1 cm² vertically aligned carbon nanotube anode and 1 cm²Cr/Au cathode. Geobacteraceae-enriched mixed bacterial culture in growth medium and 100 mM buffered ferricyanide solutions are used as the anolyte and catholyte, respectively. The miniaturized MFC produces up to approximately 10 μW with an output voltage of 0.4-0.7 V. Such low voltage, which is also load dependent, prevents the MFC to directly drive low power electronics. A pulse-frequency modulation type dc-dc converter in discontinuous conduction mode is designed and implemented to address the challenges and provides a load independent output voltage with high conversion efficiency. The fabricated dc-dc converter in UMC 0.18 μm has been tested with the MFC. At 0.9 V output, the converter has a peak efficiency of 85% with 9 μW load.

Original language	English
Article number	6814297
Pages (from-to)	2041-2049
Number of pages	9
Journal	IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics
Volume	30
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/TPEL.2014.2323075
State	Published - 1 Apr 2015

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

Keywords

DC-DC power converters
Energy efficiency
Fuel cells
Integrated circuits
Switching converters

Access to Document

10.1109/TPEL.2014.2323075

Cite this

@article{aaf470a66373498087207370baa6b138,

title = "A high-efficiency DC-DC boost converter for a miniaturized microbial fuel cell",

abstract = "This paper presents a high-efficiency dc-dc boost converter to interface a miniaturized 50 μL microbial fuel cell (MFC) having 1 cm2 vertically aligned carbon nanotube anode and 1 cm2Cr/Au cathode. Geobacteraceae-enriched mixed bacterial culture in growth medium and 100 mM buffered ferricyanide solutions are used as the anolyte and catholyte, respectively. The miniaturized MFC produces up to approximately 10 μW with an output voltage of 0.4-0.7 V. Such low voltage, which is also load dependent, prevents the MFC to directly drive low power electronics. A pulse-frequency modulation type dc-dc converter in discontinuous conduction mode is designed and implemented to address the challenges and provides a load independent output voltage with high conversion efficiency. The fabricated dc-dc converter in UMC 0.18 μm has been tested with the MFC. At 0.9 V output, the converter has a peak efficiency of 85\% with 9 μW load.",

keywords = "DC-DC power converters, Energy efficiency, Fuel cells, Integrated circuits, Switching converters",

author = "Xu Zhang and Hao Ren and Soonjae Pyo and Lee, \{Jae Ik\} and Jongbaeg Kim and Junseok Chae",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2014 IEEE.",

year = "2015",

month = apr,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1109/TPEL.2014.2323075",

language = "English",

volume = "30",

pages = "2041--2049",

journal = "IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics",

issn = "0885-8993",

number = "4",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - A high-efficiency DC-DC boost converter for a miniaturized microbial fuel cell

AU - Zhang, Xu

AU - Ren, Hao

AU - Pyo, Soonjae

AU - Lee, Jae Ik

AU - Kim, Jongbaeg

AU - Chae, Junseok

PY - 2015/4/1

Y1 - 2015/4/1

N2 - This paper presents a high-efficiency dc-dc boost converter to interface a miniaturized 50 μL microbial fuel cell (MFC) having 1 cm2 vertically aligned carbon nanotube anode and 1 cm2Cr/Au cathode. Geobacteraceae-enriched mixed bacterial culture in growth medium and 100 mM buffered ferricyanide solutions are used as the anolyte and catholyte, respectively. The miniaturized MFC produces up to approximately 10 μW with an output voltage of 0.4-0.7 V. Such low voltage, which is also load dependent, prevents the MFC to directly drive low power electronics. A pulse-frequency modulation type dc-dc converter in discontinuous conduction mode is designed and implemented to address the challenges and provides a load independent output voltage with high conversion efficiency. The fabricated dc-dc converter in UMC 0.18 μm has been tested with the MFC. At 0.9 V output, the converter has a peak efficiency of 85% with 9 μW load.

AB - This paper presents a high-efficiency dc-dc boost converter to interface a miniaturized 50 μL microbial fuel cell (MFC) having 1 cm2 vertically aligned carbon nanotube anode and 1 cm2Cr/Au cathode. Geobacteraceae-enriched mixed bacterial culture in growth medium and 100 mM buffered ferricyanide solutions are used as the anolyte and catholyte, respectively. The miniaturized MFC produces up to approximately 10 μW with an output voltage of 0.4-0.7 V. Such low voltage, which is also load dependent, prevents the MFC to directly drive low power electronics. A pulse-frequency modulation type dc-dc converter in discontinuous conduction mode is designed and implemented to address the challenges and provides a load independent output voltage with high conversion efficiency. The fabricated dc-dc converter in UMC 0.18 μm has been tested with the MFC. At 0.9 V output, the converter has a peak efficiency of 85% with 9 μW load.

KW - DC-DC power converters

KW - Energy efficiency

KW - Fuel cells

KW - Integrated circuits

KW - Switching converters

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84909592620

U2 - 10.1109/TPEL.2014.2323075

DO - 10.1109/TPEL.2014.2323075

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84909592620

SN - 0885-8993

VL - 30

SP - 2041

EP - 2049

JO - IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics

JF - IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics

IS - 4

M1 - 6814297

ER -

A high-efficiency DC-DC boost converter for a miniaturized microbial fuel cell

Abstract

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this