Microfluidic paper based membraneless biofuel cell to harvest energy from various beverages

Prakash Rewatkar,Sanket Goel

doi:10.5599/jese.687

Abstract

The present work establishes the cost-effective and miniature microfluidic self-pumping paper based enzymatic biofuel cell (P-EBFC). The developed Y-shaped P-EBFC consists of buckeye composite multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) buckypaper (BP) based bio-anode and bio-cathode that were immobilized with electro-biocatalytic enzymes glucose oxidase (GOx) and laccase, respectively. The electrocatalytic activity of enzymes on electrode surface is confirmed using cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique. Such immobilized bio-anode and bio-cathode show exquisite electrocatalytic activity towards glucose and O2, respectively. Most appealingly, P-EBFC can directly harvest energy from widely available beverages containing glucose such as Mountain Dew, Pepsi, 7up and fresh watermelon juice. This could provide potential application of P-EBFC as a portable power device.

Highlights

In recent decades, research towards enzymatic biofuel cell (EBFC) has drawn remarkable attention and is generally considered as an efficient energy conversion device
For the bioanode analysis, 40 mM glucose and 1 mM p-benzoquinone was added into 5 ml phosphate buffer solutions (PBS) (0.1 M pH 7.0)
(a), a very small catalytic oxidation current peak can be noticed in the absence of glucose, while a prominent catalytic oxidation current peak is noticed in presence of glucose. This peak corresponds to the electrocatalytic oxidation reaction of glucose oxidase (GOx) with a redox mediator and reveals the direct electrocatalytic activity of GOx enzymes on the surface of BP

Summary

Introduction

Research towards enzymatic biofuel cell (EBFC) has drawn remarkable attention and is generally considered as an efficient energy conversion device. Paper based enzymatic biofuel cell (P-EBFC); beverages; carbon nanotubes (CNT); buckypaper (BP); cyclic voltammetry In EBFC, fuel (glucose) is oxidized at the anode side and oxidant such as O2 is reduced at the cathode side, producing a potential difference between bio-electrodes. In previously reported paper based platforms, carbon-based electrode materials, expensive equipment, and time-consuming and complex additional redox co-factor based electrochemistry for the immobilization of bio-electrodes were used for the development of miniaturized power devices [7,8,9,10,11].

Results

Conclusion