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Related Concept Videos

Batteries and Fuel Cells03:12

Batteries and Fuel Cells

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A battery is a galvanic cell that is used as a source of electrical power for specific applications. Modern batteries exist in a multitude of forms to accommodate various applications, from tiny button batteries such as those that power wristwatches to the very large batteries used to supply backup energy to municipal power grids. Some batteries are designed for single-use applications and cannot be recharged (primary cells), while others are based on conveniently reversible cell reactions that...
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DC Battery01:21

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A conductor needs to be a component of a path that creates a closed loop or full circuit to have a continuous current flowing through it. A current starts to flow if an electric field is created inside an isolated conductor that is not part of a full circuit. The conductor quickly develops a net positive charge at one end and a net negative charge at the other. These charges generate an electric field opposite the direction of the applied electric field, which reduces the current. Eventually,...
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Electricity is generated by either electrons or ions flowing through a solution or a conducting medium. This flow of electrons or specifically electrical charge is defined as an electric current. When electrons move through a wire, they generate an electric current. It can be recalled  that in a redox reaction, electrons are lost and gained. In the spontaneous redox reaction of zinc  with copper, when zinc is immersed in a copper ion solution, a transfer of electrons from one...
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Spontaneous Chemical Reactions
Spontaneous redox reactions occur abundantly in nature. The chemical reaction occurring in a disposable AA battery powering our remote controls is one such example of a spontaneous redox reaction. Another example is the immersion of coiled copper wire into an aqueous silver nitrate solution. The reaction shows a gradual, visually impressive color change from colorless to bright blue and the formation of a grey precipitate on the copper wire. In this experiment,...
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Oxidative phosphorylation is a highly efficient process that generates large amounts of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the basic unit of energy that drives many cellular processes. Oxidative phosphorylation involves two processes— the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis.
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Electric generators induce an emf by rotating a coil in a magnetic field. A simple alternator is an AC generator that creates electrical energy that varies sinusoidally with time. A simple alternator consists of a conducting loop that is placed inside a uniform magnetic field. The loop is connected to split rings connected to the external circuit with the help of brushes.
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Author Spotlight: Design and Evaluation of Au-Electroplated Carbon Fiber Cloth Electrodes for Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cells
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Mammalian Fuel Cells Produce Electric Current.

Yaniv Shlosberg1,2, Mohamed A Faynus3,4, Ailun Huang5

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|July 14, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mammalian cells and retinal organoids can act as electron donors in biofuel cells, generating electricity. This research expands clean energy technology beyond microorganisms for sustainable power generation.

Keywords:
NADPHfluorescencefuel cellsmammalian cellsorganoidssupercapacitor

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Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Renewable Energy
  • Cellular Bioenergetics

Background:

  • Growing concerns about climate change necessitate clean energy solutions.
  • Biofuel cells utilize unicellular organisms as electron donors, primarily microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, and microalgae.
  • Current methods are limited to microbial applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the novel use of mammalian cell cultures and organoids as electron donors in biofuel cells.
  • To demonstrate the potential of non-microbial biological systems for electricity generation.
  • To expand the scope of biological materials for renewable energy applications.

Main Methods:

  • Cyclic voltammetry was used to assess electron release from ARPE19 cells.
  • 2D-fluorescence measurements were employed to analyze photosensitive retinal organoids.
  • Measurement of photocurrent generated by cellular electron donation to an anode.

Main Results:

  • ARPE19 cells, when associated with an anode, release reducing molecules that produce electricity.
  • Illuminated stem cell-derived retinal organoids secrete NADH and NADPH.
  • These secreted molecules (NADH and NADPH) donate electrons at the anode, generating photocurrent.

Conclusions:

  • Mammalian cell cultures and organoids represent a new class of electron donors for biofuel cells.
  • This study validates the use of ARPE19 cells and retinal organoids in electricity generation.
  • The findings open avenues for developing novel bio-electronic devices using mammalian cells.