Additively manufactured microfluidic enzymatic biofuel cell with comb-like bioelectrodes

Abstract

3D printing is a growing processing technology, which offers manufacturing of tailored, portable and integrated electrochemical energy harvesting device for realising next generation bioelectronics devices. Enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs) associated with biocatalysis uses bio friendly alternatives for energy harvesting. In addition, at microscale, the precision design and assembling of the bioelectrodes are complex procedures. The combination of software-assisted design and 3D printing has enabled the realization of customized electrochemical miniaturized devices for various applications. In this work, a completely 3D-printed EBFC at a micro level co-laminar flow-based configuration, names as 3D-µEBFC, integrated with new precise bioelectrode configuration has been demonstrated which will enhance the catalysis during the fuel flow in the device. The 3D-µEBFC consists of bioelectrode with comb-like structures with carbon black which helps in increasing the active surface to volume ratio available for electrocatalysis by 80% higher than plain electrodes. This micro-device produced an output power density of 13 µW/cm2 and open circuit voltage of 570 mV with an optimised flow rate of 18 ml/h. The 3D-printed bioelectrodes show high stability, which may transform the fabrication methodology by decreasing production costs and time, letting the development of complex‐shaped and purely 3D-printed micro-devices.