Poly(m-phenylenediamine) based nanocomposite as high-performance biofuel cell electrode for renewable energy generation using environmentally friendly and biocompatible materials

Abstract

There is a tremendous increase in the development of high performance environmentally friendly and biocompatible nanomaterials for several applications including biofuel cells. This study focuses on the fabrication of a bioanode by physical adsorption of an enzyme and the mediator on ternary nanocomposite, acting as a conducting support. The nanocomposite was obtained by in-situ polymerization of aniline’s derivative/poly(m-phenylenediamine) (mPDP), magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) (Fe3O4) and graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN). The Fe3O4 NPs were synthesised through green route using Neem leaves (Azadirachta indica) extracts via a hydrothermal process. Advanced analytical techniques including FTIR, XRD, TEM and SEM coupled with EDX were used to uncover the characteristics of these materials. Furthermore, the assessment of the modified glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) was carried out by Cyclic voltammetry (CV), Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). The bioanode [Fe3O4/g-CN/mPDP/Ferritin (FRT)/Glucose oxidase (GOs)] modified with ternary nanocomposite delivered an excellent current density of ca. 9.2 mA cm−2 at ca. 50 mM glucose concentration by sweeping the voltage at 100 mVs−1. Moreover, the developed bioanode showed high open circuit voltage (ca. 0.59 V) with good electrocatalytic performance having immense potential for diverse electrochemical processes along with energy generation in biofuel cell applications.