The development of titanium dioxide nanotube-supported CdTe catalysts for photocatalytic enzymatic glucose fuel cell and response surface methodology optimization

Abstract

Energy is one of the critical needs for human life and well-being. Alternative energy sources are essential due to the increase in energy demand with the rise in population the development of industrialization, and the damage caused by fossil fuels to the environment. Fuel cells, an alternative energy source, are a clean and environmentally friendly technology that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotube (TNT)-support CdTe catalysts were synthesized by the wet impregnation (WI) method. Glucose oxidase (GOD) and laccase (LAC) enzymes were modified by incubation on CdTe/TNT catalysts. These enzymatic and non-enzymatic catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) and mapping, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analyses. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and chronoamperometry (CA) analyses were used to examine the activity, resistance, and stability of catalysts for enzymatic photocatalytic glucose electrooxidation. The 3 % CdTe(50-50)-TNT-GOD/GCE electrode exhibited the highest activity, resistance, and stability under UV illumination compared to other electrodes. The modification parameters of the electrodes, incubation time, amount of catalyst ink, and drying time were found to be 136.96 min, 8.94 µL, and 21.30 min with response surface method (RSM) analysis, respectively. The estimated specific activity value was obtained as 0.754 mA/cm2 under optimized conditions.