Enzymatic fuel cells design

ENZYMATIC FUEL CELL DESIGN, OPERATION, AND APPLICATION... 

Rincon RA, Lau C, Luckarifl HR, Garcia KE, Adkins E, Johnson GR, Atanassov P. Enzymatic fuel cells integrating flow-through anode and air-breathing cathode into a membrane-less biofuel cell design. Biosens Bioelectron 2011 27 132 136. 

Many of the significant advances in improving the performance of enzymatic fuel cells can be attributed to the introduction of rationally designed electrode materials, particularly the incorporation of nanoscale materials in macroscale architectures in order to improve electron transfer (ET) from the biocatalyst to the electrode [ 1 -9]. For enzymatic fuel cell electrodes, protein interaction and orientation at the nanoscale is imperative, as the enzyme must be positioned in such a way that its redox center can transfer electrons to the transducer surface [10-15]. Because the aspect ratio of a nanomaterial approaches the molecular scale, redox proteins can establish a close and direct association with the material and effectively decrease the electron tunneling distance. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), for example, have dimensions that are uniquely amenable to close physical association with proteins and can facilitate direct electronic interactions with redox catalysts [14]. The incorporation of CNTs into... 

In the past two decades, enzymatic bioanode design has increasingly drawn researchers attention and expedited the improvement of BFCs. Numerous efforts have built promise into this alternative energy conversion device. Several limitations, however, have prevented enzymatic bioanodes from being employed for practical applications. These drawbacks include low power density and low stability compared with conventional fuel cells. 

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