Microfluidic Flow Cells for Energy Conversion and Utilization

Microfluidics refers to the technology of controlling or operating minute amounts of fluids in microchannels with the characteristic dimension of the submillimeter scale. Ascribing to the extremely large specific surface area, microfluidics inherently allows the potential in facilitating energy and mass transport. To date, microfluidic devices have been employed in a variety of energy technologies like electrolyzers, fuel cells, flow batteries, etc., which are also known as microfluidic flow cells. In this chapter, the development of microfluidic flow cells for energy conversion and utilization is reviewed with respect to their applications in both hydrocarbon fuel production and renewable electricity storage as well as electricity generation. A variety of effective methods and novel architectures for improving the performance of respective microfluidic flow cells have been comprehensively discussed. Furthermore, the remaining challenges and future direction of the microfluidic flow cells are also summarized.