Zinc Hybrid, Energy Dense, Biological Fuel Cell

Luna Innovations will determine the feasibility of developing a light weight energy dense Zn-hybrid biological fuel cell that is capable of powering small unmanned systems (UAS’s) and small UAS’s in the field. The proposed Zn-hybrid biological fuel cell will provide significant improvements in power generation, stability, and life time over current Li-ion battery technologies, resulting in an environmentally friendly, sustainable fuel cell technology. During Phase I Luna will demonstrate the performance of a Zn-hybrid biological fuel cell consisting of a Zn anode and an enzymatic cathode that will be evaluated and tested. Phase II will focus on optimizing the fuel cell design in order to maximize the specific power and cell lifetime without increasing the device weight, and investigating the possibility of recharging or recycling the spent anode material. Concurrently, Luna will be working to integrate the fuel cell technology with multiple types of UAS’s and SUAS’s to meet the market demand for power systems for small mobile electronic devices. BENEFIT: The proposed Zn-hybrid biological fuel cell, which is scalable from 20-500g and capable of specific power of 200-400 Wh/kg, could be used to power many types of small mobile electronic devices. The proposed fuel cell design is composed of a sacrificial Zn anode and oxygen reducing enzymatic cathode in order to maximize energy density without increasing device weight. The proposed Zn-hybrid biological fuel cell will be applicable not only to UAS’s manufactured directly for the DoD (including Air Force, Navy, and Army), but also to other autonomous robotic systems, small mobile electronic devices, implantable electronic devices, medical devices, and unattended ground sensors.