Microplasma MEMS device: its design, fabrication and application in hydrogen generation for fuel cells

This project presents the design, fabrication, characterization and applications of a MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) device that generates microplasma at atmospheric pressure. Two types of the devices were conceived, characterized and tested while different carrier gases were employed. The device performance was first characterized by current-voltage (I-V) measurements. A mixture of carrier gas and water vapor was then introduced; the gas resultants were analyzed with Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES). The spectra shows atomic hydrogen peaks, as the evidence that the microplasma dissociates hydrogen from water vapor. The resultants from the device were sent to a PEM hydrogen fuel cell for the preliminary demonstration on its potential applications. In addition, the initial study of using the MEMS devices for generating RF microplasma was fabricated and tested