Biofuel Cells Based on Oxidoreductases and Electroactive Nanomaterials: Development and Characterization

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Biotechnology
• Nanomaterials Science

Background:

• Amperometric biosensors (ABSs) and enzymatic biofuel cells (BFCs) share principles like biorecognition and electron transfer.
• Nanomaterials (NMs) and microbial oxidoreductases are key components in efficient and cost-effective ABSs and BFCs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel laboratory prototypes of BFCs using specific enzymes and nanomaterials.
• To investigate the performance of BFCs with bioanodes based on yeast flavocytochrome b2 (Fc*b*₂) and alcohol oxidase (AO), and laccase-based cathodes.
• To explore co-immobilization of redox NMs with enzymes on glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) for enhanced BFC function.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of BFC prototypes with enzyme-modified GCEs.
• Co-immobilization of enzymes (Fc*b*₂, AO) and redox nanomaterials (e.g., gold-hexacyanoferrate (AuHCF), nCoPtCu, nAuCePt) on bioanodes.
• Utilizing fungal laccase as the cathode catalyst.
• Testing BFC performance using lactate-containing food products as fuel.

Main Results:

• Development of BFCs with Fc*b*₂/redox NM anodes and laccase/nAuCePt cathodes.
• The most effective lactate BFC, featuring an AuHCF anode, achieved a specific power density of 1.8 µW/cm².
• An optimized BFC with an AO/nCoPtCu/GCE bioanode reached a specific power density of 3.2 µW/cm².

Conclusions:

• Enzymatic biofuel cells can be effectively constructed using yeast-derived enzymes and advanced nanomaterials.
• Co-immobilization strategies significantly enhance the power output of BFCs.
• The developed BFCs show potential for utilizing food products as sustainable fuel sources.