3D-Printed Microbial Fuel Cells with Integrated Electronics for Sustainable On-Chip Energy

The success of the Internet of Things (IoT) will depend on the eco-friendliness and sustainability of its sensor nodes whose number is expected to reach one trillion worldwide by 2035. Autonomous and stand-alone sensor nodes built on large-area printed electronics could provide a solution by integrating perpetual and continuous power harvested from the surrounding environment with minimal environmental effects.

Microscale microbial fuel cells (or micro-MFCs) can be the most suitable way to power the increasing number of sensor nodes by using microbial metabolic activities to convert the abundant and renewable surrounding chemical resources to electrical energy. Microbes are ubiquitous, self-sustaining, and eco-friendly. They can adapt to adverse environmental conditions, maintaining their viability.

However, the MFCs have never been adopted as an on-chip power source for those IoT sensor nodes. Handling microbes in a liquid format creates a technological challenge in manufacturing, integrating, and operating. Living microbes cannot survive the harsh conditions of microfabrication and environmental operation.

Above all, the MFC performance is extremely low for power-demanding wireless applications. The primary objective of this proposed research is to establish innovative strategies to revolutionize the miniaturization, fabrication, integration, and performance of MFCs so they become practical, powerful, self-sustainable on-chip power sources. The proposed research will spur the development of autonomous and sustainable systems for wireless sensor nodes.

Knowledge gained from this project will benefit scientific education. Findings will first be disseminated within the discipline through local and international conferences and journal publications; then they will be distributed through educational venues maximizing the project’s reach and impact.

This NSF project aims to create a great performing, long-lasting, fully self-sustaining micro-MFC that can be integrated into large-area flexible electronics by a revolutionary 3D printing technology. The micro-MFC will potentially deliver on-chip power to the next generation of IoT applications. The proposed work will be multidisciplinary by nature, connecting advanced microengineering techniques to electromicrobiology through innovative research that is expected to generate a wealth of scientific and technological results with significant and transformative potential.

First, we will create standardized microfabrication techniques for the novel micro-MFC with programmable and seamlessly interfaced biotic-abiotic electrodes. Then, we will characterize and optimize various polymicrobial communities to improve metabolic transfer, electron transfer efficiency, and sustainability. Finally, the utility of the proposed micro-MFC will be demonstrated by integrating its multiple units as an arrayed power source into microelectronics and powering a wireless environmental sensor.

The immediate potential benefits of the proposed research are (i) the introduction of microbial spores as a dormant biocatalyst that can tolerate external fabrication and environmental conditions and the redox solid-state hydrogels to electronically and ionically connect the microbes to the electrodes, (ii) the creation of an electrochemical additive biomanufacturing technology that will allow MFC component assembly in a single-step approach and miniaturization, and (iii) the formation of artificial microbial communities that dramatically improve the performance and lifetime of the system through their synergistic cooperation. The scientific knowledge gained from this project will have far-reaching implications and support the long-term goals of stand-alone and self-powered IoT sensing nodes that operate independently and self-sustainably and are eco-friendly.

The project outcomes will address grand challenges in sensing, electronics, materials, and power sectors critical to U.S. security and competitiveness. The results will enable environmental IoT nodes that will augment human capabilities and well-being by providing a tool that collects real-time information for human safety and security. Furthermore, this work will provide an excellent way to reduce the dramatic increase in electronic waste while operating the massive IoT infrastructure.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.