High-Power Abiotic Direct Glucose Fuel Cell Using a Gold-Platinum Bimetallic Anode Catalyst

We developed a high-power abiotic direct glucose fuel cell system using a Au-Pt bimetallic anode catalyst. The high power generation (95.7 mW cm^-2) was attained by optimizing operating conditions such as the composition of a bimetallic anode catalyst, loading amount of the metal catalyst on a carbon support, ionomer/carbon weight ratio when the catalyst was applied to the anode, glucose and KOH concentrations in the fuel solution, and operating temperature and flow rate of the fuel solution. It was found that poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)-stabilized Au₈₀Pt₂₀ nanoparticles (mean diameter 1.5 nm) on a carbon (Ketjen Black 600) support function as a highly active anode catalyst for the glucose electrooxidation. The ionomer/carbon weight ratio also greatly affects the cell properties, which was found to be optimal at 0.2. As for the glucose concentration, a maximum cell power was derived at 0.4-0.6 mol dm^-3. A high KOH concentration (4.0 mol dm^-3) was preferable for deriving the maximum power. The cell power increased with the increasing flow rate of the glucose solution up to 50 cm³ min^-1 and leveled off thereafter. At the optimal condition, the maximum power density and corresponding cell voltage of 58.2 mW cm^-2 (0.36 V) and 95.7 mW cm^-2 (0.34 V) were recorded at 298 and 328 K, respectively.