Enzymatic biofuel cell: A potential power source for self-sustained smart textiles.

Area of Science:

• Bioengineering
• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Smart textiles require miniaturized, flexible power sources, a role unmet by current lithium-ion batteries.
• Enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs) present a promising alternative, using physiological fuels like glucose or lactate.
• EBFCs offer continuous power, biocompatibility, simple configuration, and biodegradability, unlike solar or biomechanical harvesters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs) to the smart textiles research community.
• To summarize the recent advancements of EBFCs in fibers, yarns, and textiles.
• To bridge the knowledge gap regarding EBFCs' strengths and limitations for smart textile applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of the fundamental working principles of EBFCs.
• Synthesis of recent research progress on EBFCs integrated into textile formats.
• Analysis of EBFCs' suitability for self-sustained smart textile systems.

Main Results:

• EBFCs demonstrate potential as continuous, biocompatible, and biodegradable power sources for smart textiles.
• Recent progress shows EBFCs can be fabricated into fibers and yarns for textile integration.
• EBFCs offer advantages over other energy harvesting methods for wearable electronics.

Conclusions:

• EBFCs are a viable alternative to traditional batteries for powering smart textiles.
• Further research and development are needed to optimize EBFCs for widespread smart textile adoption.
• This review provides essential information for smart textile researchers to leverage EBFC technology.