Power Hungry: Fuel Cells Harvesting Biofluids for Renewable Power of Wearable Medical Devices

电力需求旺盛：燃料电池收集生物流体，为可穿戴医疗设备提供可再生能源

• 批准号: 10237207
• 负责人: RICHARD Fergus ffrench WEIR
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: VA EASTERN COLORADO HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-10-01 至 2022-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10237207
• 关键词: Acids; Address; Animal Experimentation; Anions; Anodes; Architecture; Area; Arteriovenous fistula; Award; Baclofen; Blood; Blood Glucose; Blood Vessels; Blood flow; Brain; Cathodes; Cells; Clinical; Collaborations; Development; Device or Instrument Development; Devices; Dialysis patients; Dialysis procedure; Drops; Electricity; Electrodes; Electrolytes; Electronics; Ensure; Equipment; Forearm; Formulation; Future; Glucose; Goals; Goretex; Harvest; Hour; Human; Implant; Information Dissemination; Institutes; Journals; Label; Limb Prosthesis; Mechanics; Medical; Medical Device; Membrane; Metals; Methods; Miniaturization; Mission; Nature; Output; Pacemakers; Patients; Peer Review; Physiological; Polymers; Power Sources; Production; Property; Prosthesis; Protons; Pump; Regulation; Research; Research Peer Review; Route; Shapes; Shunt Device; Solid; Source; Stream; Surface; Surgeon; System; Technical Expertise; Technology; TimeLine; Upper Extremity; Vascular blood supply; Venous; Vision; Weight; Wireless Technology; Work; alkalinity; base; biomaterial compatibility; catalyst; deep brain stimulator; density; design; energy density; experience; experimental study; glucose transport; implanted sensor; improved; in vivo; light weight; materials science; miniaturize; new technology; novel; oxidation; prototype; reaction rate; rehabilitation research; relating to nervous system; standard of care; sugar; symposium; technology validation; warfighter; wearable device; wearable sensor technology; wound

Our ultimate goal is to create an alkaline fuel cell that uses blood sugars as a renewable power source for implantable and wearable medical devices. We believe the components and technologies needed to create such a device have come of age and that an opportunity exists to develop a system that integrates these components to produce a clinically viable system in terms of size, power, and efficiency. If successful, this will be a completely novel technology using blood sugar as a fuel source for an alkaline fuel cell. A fuel cell of this nature would enable long-term, renewable power for implanted and/or wearable medical devices. Circuits with super- capacitors or rechargeable batteries will help with power management4. In its final formulation, it is possible to envision a small spiral wound membrane-based fuel cell packaged into a device the size of three AA batteries that uses body-harvested sugars to produce electrical power for medical devices. For the purpose of this SPiRE development project as a first step we propose to develop an external glucose- based fuel cell as a technology demonstrator. Such a system might have advantages over standard battery technology in terms of energy density, size, and weight but the real goal is to allow us to research and address the pitfalls surrounding implementation of this technology and to enable us to have discussions with clinicians, such as vascular surgeons and the like, on how to best advance and deploy this technology in people. For this SPiRE award. We will: • Create a bench-top fuel cell using off-the-shelf materials, an anion exchange membrane, and electronics. • Develop an intrinsic fuel cell architecture using glucose as a fuel source as a proof-of-concept. The methods of this project build upon existing technical expertise, collaborations, and equipment already used by Dr. Weir’s and Dr. Pellegrino’s research groups. We will implement an alkaline electrolyte rather than the typical acid electrolyte. The alkaline electrolyte in our experiment is a solid polymer electrolyte known as an anion exchange membrane (AEM). Anion exchange membranes (AEM) offer benefits over traditional proton exchange membranes (PEM). Anion exchange membranes do not require noble metal catalysts and have low fuel crossover. AEM’s also have been shown to have high power density when compared to proton exchange membrane (PEM) glucose fuel cells. In our study, we will use a highly ionically conductive AEM developed and provided by Dr. Chulsung Bae of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). This state-of-the-art membrane will reduce the need for a basic glucose media enabling in-vivo or ex-vivo bio-medical applications. Our membrane electrode assembly, consisting of the anode, cathode, and AEM, will be placed in a standard 10 cm2 fuel cell stack. We completely acknowledge that the route to fully implantable fuel cells must pass through other hurdles, such as biocompatibility; nonetheless, the current materials advances allow us to operate abiotic catalytic oxidation of glucose with locally high pH conditions. We will explore glucose concentrations which mimic the concentration in blood in anticipation of future development, and we will develop a prototype standalone appropriately packaged external fuel cell in a shape, size, and weight suitable for use in a trans-radial prosthesis. No human and/or animal research will take place at this early stage of development. Our team has experience across all aspects of the project. Dr. Pellegrino’s expertise in material science and membranes ensures the design of the fuel cell will improve upon prior technology. Dr. Segil’s electromechanical design experience in upper limb prosthetic components will inform the miniaturization and packaging of the device. Dr. Weir’s prior work on implantable sensors, wireless power technology, and medical device development will facilitate the design of the power stabilization electronics. 1

我们的最终目标是创造一种碱性燃料电池，利用血糖作为可再生能源 我们相信制造此类医疗设备所需的组件和技术。 设备已经成熟，并且有机会开发集成这些组件的系统 如果成功的话，这将是一个在尺寸、功率和效率方面完全可行的临床系统。 使用血糖作为碱性燃料电池的燃料来源的新技术将成为这种性质的燃料电池。 为植入式和/或可穿戴式医疗设备提供长期的可再生能源。 电容器或可充电电池将有助于电源管理4。 设想将小型螺旋卷绕膜燃料电池封装成三个 AA 电池大小的设备 它利用人体采集的糖来为医疗设备提供电力。 为了这个 SPiRE 开发项目的目的，作为第一步，我们建议开发一种外部葡萄糖- 基于燃料电池作为技术演示，这种系统可能比标准电池有优势。 技术的能量密度、尺寸和重量，但真正的目标是让我们能够研究和解决 围绕这项技术实施的陷阱，并使我们能够与参议员进行讨论， 例如血管外科医生等，了解如何最好地在人们身上推进和部署这项技术。 我们将： • 使用现成材料、阴离子交换膜和电子器件创建台式燃料电池。 • 开发一种使用葡萄糖作为燃料源的内在燃料电池架构作为概念验证。 该项目的方法建立在现有的技术专长、合作和设备的基础上 Weir 博士和 Pellegrino 博士的研究小组使用我们将采用碱性电解质而不是电解质。 我们实验中的典型酸性电解质是一种固体聚合物电解质，称为 阴离子交换膜 (AEM) 与传统质子膜相比具有优势。 阴离子交换膜（PEM）不需要贵金属催化剂，并且具有较低的性能。 与质子交换相比，AEM 也被证明具有高功率密度。 膜（PEM）葡萄糖燃料电池。 在我们的研究中，我们将使用由 Chulsung Bae 博士开发和提供的高离子导电 AEM 伦斯勒理工学院 (RPI)。这种最先进的膜将减少对基本葡萄糖的需求。 我们的膜电极组件可实现体内或离体生物医学应用。 我们完全承认，阳极、阴极和 AEM 将放置在标准 10 cm2 燃料电池堆中。 然而，实现完全植入式燃料电池的道路必须克服其他障碍，例如生物相容性； 当前的先进材料使我们能够在局部高 pH 值的情况下对葡萄糖进行非生物催化氧化 我们将探索模拟血液中葡萄糖浓度的预期。 未来的发展，我们将开发一个原型独立的适当封装的外部燃料电池 适合用于经桡动脉假体的形状、尺寸和重量不会进行人类和/或动物研究。 处于发展的早期阶段。 我们的团队在该项目的各个方面都拥有丰富的经验，包括材料科学和相关专业知识。 膜确保燃料电池的设计将改进 Segil 博士的机电技术。 上肢假肢部件的设计经验将为假肢的小型化和封装提供信息 Weir 博士之前在植入式传感器、无线电力技术和医疗设备方面的工作。 开发将促进功率稳定电子器件的设计。 1