Enzymatic biofuel cells convert the chemical energy of fuels like glucose and ethanol into electricity, and have the potential to power portable devices. One important issue to be addressed is their low power density caused by their low current density. The rate-limiting step in mediated enzyme electrodes has been electron conduction via a redox polymer, which shuttles electrons from the enzyme to the electrode, due to the low apparent electron diffusion coefficient in the redox polymer. We have proposed a high-surface-area three-dimensional enzyme electrode made of redox-polymer-grafted carbon black to obtain high current density. The three-dimensional carbon electrode with high surface area and high electron conductivity plays the primary role in conducting electrons; thus, the electron conduction distance in the redox polymer was reduced. A glucose-oxidizing anode and an oxygen-reducing cathode were fabricated using this concept. The effectiveness of the electrode was verified by experiments and a mathematical model.

High-surface-area enzymatic biofuel cell electrodes made of redox-polymer-grafted carbon black

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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