Glucose Biofuel Cell Research Articles

Energy Harvesting Schemes for Wearable Devices

For the specifications of Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs), eHealth systems, and wearable devices, batteries are not desirable. They maximize the sensor nodes’ size and need to be replaced every few years through human interference. Energy harvesting is now being studied as the primary source of electricity for wearable devices. Several initiatives have succeeded in using energy harvesting to operate the wearable devices’ electronic components. However, to rely primarily on energy harvesting in wearable devices, some obstacles need to be addressed. This work surveys the development of various energy harvesting methodologies utilized to drive wearable devices. The addressed harvesters are piezoelectric, glucose biofuel cell, triboelectric generators, thermoelectric generators, solar cells, and radio frequency (RF) harvesters. The advantages, disadvantages, and challenges of the addressed harvesters are mentioned. The application of the harvesters in invivo experiments is also discussed.

Construction of a Cascade Catalyst of Nanocoupled Living Red Blood Cells for Implantable Biofuel Cell.

The broad applications of implantable glucose biofuel cells (GBFCs) have become very attractive in biomedical sciences. The key challenge of GBFCs is eliminating the inevitable product H2O2 generated from the oxidation of glucose when glucose oxidase (GOx) is used as a catalyst while improving the performance of GBFCs. In this work, the cascade electrocatalyst, RBCs@NPDA was obtained through the in situ polymerization of dopamine to form nanopolydopamine (NPDA) on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs). The RBCs@NPDA can catalyze both fuels of H2O2 and O2, so as to generate a high cathodic current (0.414 mA cm-2). Furthermore, when RBCs@NPDA was used as a cathodic catalyst in the membraneless GBFC, it exhibited the cascade catalytic activity in the reduction of O2-H2O2 and minimized the damage to RBCs caused by the high concentration of H2O2. The mechanism research indicates that RBCs@NPDA integrates the property of NPDA and RBCs. Specifically, NPDA plays a catalase-like role in catalyzing the decomposition of H2O2, while RBCs play a laccase-like role in electrocatalyzing the O2 reduction reaction. This work offers the cascade catalyst for improving the performance of implantable GBFC and presents a strategy for constructing catalysts using living cells and nanomaterials to replace deformable and unstable enzymes in other biofuel cells.

Non-enzymatic glucose biofuel cells based on highly porous PtxNi1-x nanoalloys

Non-enzymatic glucose biofuel cells based on highly porous PtxNi1-x nanoalloys

Direct-Electron-Transfer-Based Microfluidic Glucose Biofuel Cell With CO2 Laser Ablated Bioelectrodes and Microchannel.

Miniaturized microfluidic electrochemical energy devices can produce power without the need for a separator reducing a considerable amount of fabrication complications. Enzymatic biofuel cells, with glucose as a fuel, are capable of producing energy from biological fluids in the presence of biocatalysts. The tedious fabrication procedures can be avoided by making electrodes and microchannel using laser ablation technique on polyimide substrates. In this work, a microfluidic enzymatic biofuel cell (MEBFC) has been presented with CO2 laser-ablated microchannel and bioelectrodes using a mediatorless approach. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) have been used as a promoter to enhance the electron transfer rate. The fabricated MEBFC shows good power performance supplying [Formula: see text]/cm2 with a maximum open-circuit voltage of 260 mV.

Droplet-based lab-on-chip platform integrated with laser ablated graphene heaters to synthesize gold nanoparticles for electrochemical sensing and fuel cell applications

Controlled, stable and uniform temperature environment with quick response are crucial needs for many lab-on-chip (LOC) applications requiring thermal management. Laser Induced Graphene (LIG) heater is one such mechanism capable of maintaining a wide range of steady state temperature. LIG heaters are thin, flexible, and inexpensive and can be fabricated easily in different geometric configurations. In this perspective, herein, the electro-thermal performance of the LIG heater has been examined for different laser power values and scanning speeds. The experimented laser ablated patterns exhibited varying electrical conductivity corresponding to different combinations of power and speed of the laser. The conductivity of the pattern can be tailored by tuning the parameters which exhibit, a wide range of temperatures making them suitable for diverse lab-on-chip applications. A maximum temperature of 589 °C was observed for a combination of 15% laser power and 5.5% scanning speed. A LOC platform was realized by integrating the developed LIG heaters with a droplet-based microfluidic device. The performance of this LOC platform was analyzed for effective use of LIG heaters to synthesize Gold nanoparticles (GNP). Finally, the functionality of the synthesized GNPs was validated by utilizing them as catalyst in enzymatic glucose biofuel cell and in electrochemical applications.

Chloroferrocene-mediated laccase bioelectrocatalyst for the rapid reduction of O2

Enzymatic biofuel cells are a promising and environmentally friendly technology for energy generation from renewable fuel sources. Glucose biofuel cells employ enzymatic catalysts at both the anode and cathode to oxidize glucose and reduce oxygen while producing electricity. Consequently, there is a need for materials capable of immobilizing enzymes and facilitating efficient electron transfer between an electrode surface and an enzymatic active site. Here, we describe a chloroferrocene-modified linear poly(ethylenimine) capable of mediating electro-enzymatic oxygen reduction by laccase. Enzymatic biocathodes constructed using this mediator generated current densities up to 2.66 mA cm−2, and up to 636 μW cm−2 (Eoc = 0.6 V) power when combined with a tetramethylferrocene-mediated glucose oxidase bioanode to construct a biofuel cell mediated entirely by ferrocenes.

A novel neutral non-enzymatic glucose biofuel cell based on a Pt/Au nano-alloy anode

In this paper, we present a neutral non-enzymatic glucose biofuel cell (GBFC) based on a Pt/Au nano-alloy anode. We synthesize Pt/Au alloy anodes by the electrochemical deposition of a Pt/Au nano-alloy on the surface of a thin polyethylene terephthalate membrane with a uniformly distributed microhemispheric array. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed GBFC can generate a maximum power density of 0.32 mW/cm2, an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.42 V, and a short-circuit current (Isc) density of 2.67 mA/cm2 with 5 mM of glucose in a 0.1-M PBS (pH 7.4) solution while the cathode is being supplied with 7% saturated oxygen. The synergistic effect of the Pt/Au bimetallic alloy is found to improve the performance of the proposed GBFC. The proposed neutral non-enzymatic GBFC shows promising feasibility as an implantable power supply system for the provision of continuous and consistent electricity to a continuous glucose monitoring system.

Completely Additive Manufactured and Reusable Microfluidic Device As Enzymatic Glucose Biofuel Cell

Energy devices using electrochemical reactions are emerging as essential power sources, paving the way towards renewable and sustainable energy harvesting. Among various electrochemical energy devices (ECD), enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFC) are gaining more attention due to the production of green energy using biocatalysts such as enzymes and physiological fluids as fuel. These devices are of prime importance because of their unique features, such as high energy density, long-life, portability, and cost-effectiveness. However, they still have some drawbacks including precise and customized designing of devices at the microscale dimensions. This can be overcome by additive manufacturing techniques such as fused deposition modeling (FDM) driven 3D printing to produce accurate micro-devices using conductive filaments with tailored design. In this work, the development of a completely additively manufactured (AM) microfluidic device for the application of enzymatic biofuel cells has been described. The micro-device was 3D printed with ABS filament, whereas the electrodes using conductive graphene/polylactic acid filament using a desktop 3D printer. The design of the electrodes (Figure 1a) (35 mm × 1.5 mm × 1 mm) and microchannel were carried out using Autodesk Fusion 360 software with the required dimensions. Surface modification of the electrode was accomplished using dimethylformamide (DMF) for an optimized time of 10 mins (Figure 1b) and left to air dry overnight. The anodic (glucose oxidase) and cathodic (laccase) enzymes were immobilized on the bioelectrodes by the EDC-NHS coupling mechanism (Figure 1c and 1d). The substrate (glucose) concentration and DMF treatment time were optimized by various trials using electrochemical techniques. The microfluidic device was designed in a way that the device can be reused by inserting bioelectrodes into the respective compartments. The anolyte and catholyte consisted of mediators for enhancing the electron transfer rate during electrolysis. Co-laminar flow was maintained in the device to make it membraneless. This was done by varying the device design parameters and flow rates of the electrolyte with the help of a peristaltic pump. The sequential steps of integration of the bioelectrodes into the microchannel is shown in Figure 1e. Polarization performance of the fabricated bioelectrodes incorporated in the AM microfluidic EBFC was recorded using Chronoamperometry technique at the room temperature. The device was capable of generating a benchmarked power density of 7.95 µW/cm2 with an open circuit voltage of 312 mV. This method of device fabrication for EBFC will help in development of highly efficient ECD by different conductive electrode materials for increasing the efficacy of the micro-device. Figure 1

Sustainable and high-power wearable glucose biofuel cell using long-term and high-speed flow in sportswear fabrics

Wearable electronics have been extensively studied owing to their capability of undertaking continuous multi-task for daily needs. Meanwhile, lightweight, flexible, and wearable power sources that enable high-power and sustainable energy conversion from ambient resources (e.g. bodily fluids) have attracted attention. We propose a wearable and flexible textile-based biofuel cell using moisture management fabric (MMF) widely used in sportswear as a transport layer for sustainable and high-power energy harvesting. The reduction of PB-modified cathode is driven by the oxidation of glucose catalyzed by GOD-modified anode, and this enables a single-compartment structure where MMF acts as biofuel transport media. MMF made of polyester can naturally induce a continuous, high-speed flow which facilitates molecule transport for efficient chemical reactions without an additional pump. The resulting highly efficient power generation in MMF is explored and verified by comparing it with those of cotton and paper. Additionally, multi-stack biofuel cell in both parallel and series was successfully realized, and the open circuit voltage and maximum power reached 1.08 V and 80.2 μW, respectively. Integrated into a bandage and sportswear, a six-stack biofuel cell was able to generate sufficient electrical power from human sweat and turn on a sports watch directly. Owing to low-cost and scalable fabrication process, the proposed biofuel cell has great potential to be systematically integrated into clothes, and generate sufficient and sustainable electrical power for wearable electronics using biofuel (e.g. glucose, lactase) from various bodily fluids, like sweat and urine.

In situ growth of hybrid nanoflowers on activated carbon fibers as electrodes for mediatorless enzymatic biofuel cells

Hybrid nanoflowers (HnFs) are novel structures that comprise enzymes (laccase, glucose oxidase, or catalase) and Cu3(PO4)2-based crystals, which can directly in situ grow on activated carbon fibers (ACFs) for the preparation of electrodes (HnF/ACF) used in glucose biofuel cells. The HnF/ACF structures perform higher enzymatic activities (~4 times) and stability (~2 times) than the enzymes physically adsorbed on ACFs in distinct analyses such as epinephrine oxidation, H2O2 decomposition, and glucose oxidation. The power density of an HnF/ACF-based cell (50 µW cm−2 for a glucose concentration of 50 mM) is 3–5 times higher than that of a cell prepared from conventional enzyme immobilization routes, which can be sustained at up to 80% after one month of operation.

Flexible and optimized carbon paste electrodes for direct electron transfer-based glucose biofuel cell fed by various physiological fluids

Development of bioelectrodes with multiple virtues, such as biocompatibility, flexibility, versatility and cost-effectiveness, remains a huge area of research for multiple applications. Here, we delve upon fabricating carbon electrodes using a desktop PCB printer in a cost-and-time efficient manner (less than 2 min). Such printed carbon paste electrodes have been incorporated to develop an enzyme-based glucose biofuel cell to power various low-power biomedical devices and for biosensing. The bioelectrodes were prepared by electrodepositing gold nanorods followed by the immobilization of suitable enzymes. These bioelectrodes were tested for their electrochemical behavior and was setup as a Direct Electron Transfer (DET)-based enzymatic biofuel to be amenable for various physiological fluids, like tears, human saliva, whole blood and blood serum, due to its biocompatibility and efficiency. It delivered maximum energy of 3.18 µW/cm2 and 8.8 µW/cm2 from tears and human serum, respectively. These fabricated electrodes have huge potential to be incorporated in miniaturized devices as a renewable energy source for implantable and self-powered bioelectronics.

Optimized Shelf-Stacked Paper Origami-Based Glucose Biofuel Cell with Immobilized Enzymes and a Mediator

Recently, as an efficient renewable power source, paper microfluidic enzymatic biofuel cells have received significant attention. Due to their inherent characteristics and outstanding performance, a microfluidic paper-based analytical device for enzymatic biofuel cells (μPAD-EBFCs) has emerged as the best alternative to conventional power supplies for various miniaturized devices. This work presents a novel, user-friendly, and cost-efficient enzyme and mediator-immobilized electrochemistry-based shelf-stack-configured μPAD-EBFC. This Y-shaped colaminar fluid-flow EBFC has been realized using multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-composed Bucky paper (BP) as a bioelectrode, where GOx (anodic enzyme) and laccase (cathodic enzyme) were immobilized with optimized chemistry. The potentiometric oxidation and reduction performances of fabricated bioelectrodes were characterized using different electrochemical techniques. Subsequently, four such Y-shaped μPAD-EBFCs were realized in a shelf-stack configuration using a mini-three-dimensional (3D) printed platform, where the μPAD-EBFCs were connected in various series–parallel arrangements. With such shelf-stack configurations, 4 series-connected μPAD-EBFCs delivered the maximum stable open circuit potential of 1.65 V, with a peak power density of 46.4 μW/cm² (58 μA/cm²) at 0.8 V. The generated output power is sufficient to power the small portable device, which can be easily and suitably tuned depending on the application.

The role of electrolytically deposited palladium and platinum metal nanoparticles dispersed onto poly(1,8-diaminonaphthalene) for enhanced glucose electrooxidation in biofuel cells

Glucose biofuel cells are one of the promising power supplies with a competent long-term stability and power density. In this respect, catalysts of palladium (Pd) and platinum (Pt) metal nanoparticles film coated electrode were fabricated for biofuel cell. The Pt and Pd particles were electrochemically deposited onto glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with poly(1,8-diaminonaphthalene), (p-1,8-DAN), via single or layer-by-layer electrodeposition. In results, Pt/p-1,8-DAN/GC, Pd/p-1,8-DAN/GC, Pt-Pd/p-1,8-DAN/GC and Pd-Pt/p-1,8-DAN/GC shell-core catalysts were fabricated and characterized by several analytical techniques such as AFM, EDX,SEM, TEM, and XPS, in addition to electrochemical methods. Their catalytic electrooxidation behaviors of glucose were investigated in alkaline medium. The as-prepared nano-catalysts showed improved electrocatalytic performances and better stability for glucose oxidation reaction (GOR) due to the presence of metal nanoparticles. The Pd as core and Pt as shell in Pt-Pd/p-1,8-DAN/GC catalyst exhibited higher electrochemically accessible surface area (157.58 m2/g) and a favored electrooxidation efficiency. Moreover, the bimetallic Pt-Pd shell-core electrode showed higher resistance to poisoning (tolerance 1.24) and a decrease in the onset potential to -0.28 V. These multipurpose electro-catalysts are a potential candidate for developing a novel glucose biofuel cell.

Applications of chitosan (CHI)-reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-polyaniline (PAni) conducting composite electrode for energy generation in glucose biofuel cell

A glassy carbon electrode (GC) immobilized with chitosan (CHI)@reduced graphene (rGO)-polyaniline (PAni)/ferritin (Frt)/glucose oxidase (GOx) bioelectrode was prepared. The prepared electrode was characterized by using cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The morphological characterization was made by scanning electron microsopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. This bioelectrode provided a stable current response of 3.5 ± 0.02 mAcm−2 in 20 mM glucose. The coverage of enzyme on 0.07 cm2 area of electrode modified with CHI@rGO-PAni/Frt was calculated to be 3.80 × 10−8 mol cm−2.

Graphite electrodes as bioanodes for enzymatic glucose biofuel cell

This study investigates the performance of pencil graphite (PG) electrodes to identify the grade of pencil most suitable as bioanode for enzymatic glucose biofuel cell. Pencils of H, 3H, 5H and B grades are selected for this study. The surfaces of different grade PGs are modified with carboxylic acid functionalized multi walled carbon nanotubes (COOH-MW­CNT/PG), followed by immobilization with glucose oxidase (GOx) to fabricate the respect­tive bioanodes (GOx/COOH-MWCNT/PG). Morphological and electrochemical characteri­zations are carried out using scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. All tested PG electrodes exhibited positive results with variable response characteristics towards glucose oxidation reaction. B-grade PG bioanode is found to have the highest coverage of the deposited nanobiocomposite with the fastest electron transfer rate. The half-cell electrode assembly with this grade of PG recorded the highest current density of 4.25 mA cm-2 at physiological glucose conditions (5 mM glucose, pH 7.0). Enzymatic glucose biofuel cell assembled with B-grade PG bioanode and platinum cathode generated an open circuit potential of 149 mV and maximum power density of 0.789 µW cm−2 from 5 mM glucose at ambient conditions (25 ± 3◦C). The results obtained for B-grade PG bioanode are comparable to those of conventional carbon and glassy carbon electrodes, thus demonstrating its applicability to enzymatic glucose biofuel cells.

A Glucose Monitoring System With Remote Data Access.

A cost-effective portable glucose monitoring system with remote data access based on a novel e-oscilloscope was developed using a glucose biofuel cell and a capacitor circuit interfaced to an ESP8266 microcontroller programmed to convert the charge/discharge rates of the capacitor functioning as a transducer. The capacitor charge/discharge rates were converted into glucose concentration readings that is monitored remotely. The glucose monitoring system comprise a glucose biofuel cell, a charge pump circuit, a capacitor and an ESP microcontroller. The anode was fabricated by modifying a gold microwire with nanoporous colloidal platinum (Au-co-Pt) and the cathode was constructed using a mesh dense network of multiwalled carbon nanotubes modified with bilirubin oxidase, respectively. The glucose monitoring system showed sensitivity of 1.18 Hz/mM · cm2 with a correlation coefficient of 0.9939 with increasing glucose concentration from 1 mM to 25 mM. In addition, the glucose monitoring system exhibited optimal operation at a pH of 7.4 and 37 °C, which is ideal for physiological glucose monitoring.

PDMS-Based Microfluidic Glucose Biofuel Cell Integrated With Optimized Laser-Induced Flexible Graphene Bioelectrodes

Development of economical and mass-manufacturable bioelectrodes with desirable physical properties is one of the crucial challenges to realize automated and robust enzymatic biofuel cell (EBFC). This article focuses to develop customized CO2 laser-induced flexible graphene (LIFG) bioelectrodes on the polyamide substrate. The cost-efficiency and customization of LIFG bioelectrodes have been further demonstrated for EBFC application by integrating them into a microfluidic device, fabricated by the conventional soft lithography on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). First, the LIFG bioelectrodes were created at optimized CO2 laser (power and speed) irradiation, and characterization was performed to ensure the existence of graphene material. Subsequently, the surface morphological study of the noninduced polyamide sheet, LIFG, and LIFG with the relevant enzyme (GOx and laccase)-modified bioelectrodes has been characterized. Finally, various voltammetric electrochemical analyses of the modified LIFG bioelectrodes have been accomplished. After such an electrochemical study, the bioelectrodes were integrated into the microfluidic device and a power density of 13 μW/cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (52 μA/cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> ) was harnessed at an optimized fluid rate of 200 μL/min. By using this fabrication method, the proposed LIFG bioelectrodes have shown excellent potential for electrochemical redox and polarization performance in a microfluidic environment, with a huge scope to enrich the power output by introducing the additional cofactor-based electrochemistry and device stacking.

High-power, non-enzymatic glucose biofuel cell based on a nano/micro hybrid-structured Au anode

In this study, a high-power, non-enzymatic glucose biofuel cell (GBFC) based on a nano/micro hybrid-structured Au anode is proposed. A uniformly distributed micro-hemispheric array of polycarbonate is fabricated for this novel electrode by hot embossing using a Ni mold. The nano/micro hybrid-structured Au anode is then fabricated by depositing an Au nanoparticle monolayer on the micro-hemispheric array using 1,6-hexanedithiol as a two-sided anchor. The cathode is composed of a graphene film-coated glassy carbon electrode. Nafion, a proton exchange membrane, is used to separate the anode and cathode and complete the battery assembly. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed non-enzymatic GBFC has a high-power density of 10.7 mWcm−2, a high current density of 29.5 mAcm−2, an open-circuit voltage of 8.2 V, and a shorted-circuit current of 34 mA at room temperature. The energy conversion efficiency of the electrode is calculated to be 52.47%. In addition, the proposed GBFC possesses advantages such as ease of production on a large scale, low manufacturing cost, high repeatability, and long-term preservation. Therefore, it is highly feasible for commercialization and use in practical applications.

Optimization of Method and Components of Enzymatic Fuel Cells

Enzymatic fuel cells produce electrical power by oxidation of renewable energy sources. An enzymatic glucose biofuel cell uses glucose as fuel and enzymes as biocatalyst, to convert biochemical energy into electrical energy. The applications which need low electrical voltages and low currents have much of the interest in developing enzymatic fuel cells. The cell was constructed using three different materials with different electrodes (Bitter leaf and Copper electrodes (BCu), Bitter leaf and Carbon electrodes (BC) and Water leaf and Carbon electrodes (WC)). The short circuit current and open circuit voltage were measured in micro-ampere (mu A) and milli-volt (mV) respectively at 30 minutes interval over the period of 12 hours (from dawn to dusk). The results which show that fuel cells constructed using bitter leaf with carbon electrode has the highest open circuit voltage, short circuit current and generated power of 162.8~mV, 1.65~ mu A and 268.62~nW respectively at 720~mins is obtained from the plots generated by the use of Microsoft Excel. The results show that all short circuit currents, voltages and powers generated increases with time and this is as a result of the exposure to solar radiation during the period of taking the measurement.

Miniaturized additively manufactured co-laminar microfluidic glucose biofuel cell with optimized grade pencil bioelectrodes

Miniaturization of enzymatic biofuel cell has become a crucial factor especially towards device fabrication and integrated bioelectrode system. When successful in a cost-effective manner, it can be used as a source of qualitative electric power for portable and implantable devices. The present work demonstrates the design and fabrication of cost-effective, portable, miniaturized microfluidic enzymatic biofuel cell (M-EBFC) using rapid prototyping 3D printing (3DP) technique. The low cost, radially available, non-toxic Pencil Graphite Electrodes (PGE's) were used as the electrode material. Various grades of PGE's were rigorously studied, by screening separately and cohesively for both anodic and cathodic sides, and the optimized ones (B and 5H for anodic and cathodic sides respectively) have been utilized. These PGE's successively encapsulated into Y-shaped microchannel, fabricated using a commercial 3D Printer. This platform, integrating 3D printing technology and PGE's, delivers simplistic, cost-effective and quick fabrication method, which eradicates the necessity of any further amendment and post-processing. Furthermore, the enhancement of the surface area and electrochemical sensing, PGE's were coated with carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotube followed by the covalent immobilization enzymes. The electrochemical and polarization performance was compared between both HB and the optimized PGEs. The optimized PGE based 3D printed microfluidic membraneless enzymatic biofuel cell (3DP-MM-EBFC) showed open circuit potential (OCP) of 0.433 V and with a maximum power density of 18 μW cm−2 at a current density of 60 μA cm−2. This rapidly prototyped 3D printed fabrication technology demonstrates the viability of simple and advanced microfabrication techniques to build well-organized plug-and-play devices to power several portable low-power microelectronic devices and sensors.