A microfabricated paper-based microbial fuel cell

We report a paper-based microbial fuel cell (MFC) generating a maximum power of 5.5 μW/cm². The MFC features (1) a paper-based proton exchange membrane by infiltrating sulfonated sodium polystyrene sulfonate and (2) micro-fabricated paper chambers by patterning hydrophobic barriers of photoresist. Once a sample was added to the device, a current of 74 μA generated without any startup time. This paper-based MFC has the advantages of ease of use, low production cost, and high portability. The voltage produced was increased by 1.9× when two MFC devices were linked in series while operating lifetime was significantly enhanced in parallel.