Improvement of a direct electron transfer-type fructose/dioxygen biofuel cell with a substrate-modified biocathode

Abstract

The fructose/dioxygen biofuel cell, one of the direct electron transfer (DET)-type bioelectrochemical devices, utilizes fructose dehydrogenase (FDH) on the anode and multi-copper oxidase such as bilirubin oxidase (BOD) on the cathode as catalysts. The power density in the literature is limited by the biocathode performance. We show that the DET-type biocathode performance is greatly improved, when bilirubin or some related substances are adsorbed on electrodes before the BOD adsorption. Several data show that the substrate modification induces the appropriate orientation of BOD on the electrode surface for the DET. The substrate-modification method has successfully been applied to air-breathing gas-diffusion-type biocathodes. We have also optimized the conditions of the FDH adsorption on carbon cryogel electrodes. Finally, a one-compartment DET-type biofuel cell without separators has been constructed, and the maximum power density of 2.6 mW cm(-2) was achieved at 0.46 V of cell voltage under quiescent (passive) and air atmospheric conditions.

Biohydrogen for a New Generation of H2/O2 Biofuel Cells: A Sustainable Energy Perspective

“…An efficient modification involved reproducing the lock-and-key process between BOD and its substrate, bilirubin, at the electrode. [161,175] The same idea lead to the design of substrate analogues for Mv BOD immobilization in CNT network. [176] From the DET/MET ratio, it was evaluated that 90 % of BOD was oriented with the T1 facing the electrode.…”

“…0.40 mm at 40 8C). [175,323,324] Sugar/airbreathing EBFCs were recently developed and helped to overcome this issue, because oxygen is brought as a gas and not as a dissolved species. [218,[325][326][327] In view of the removal of the membrane separator in H 2 /O 2 EBFCs, mixtures of H 2 and O 2 must be controlled outside their explosive limits.…”

Electrochemical Impedance Study of Screen-printed Branch Structure Porous Carbon Electrode using MgO-templated Carbon and MgO Particle and its Application for Bilirubin Oxidase-immobilized Biocathode

“…In addition, we will try to control the protein orientation on electrodes for further improvement of the DET kinetics. 6 …”

“…In addition, thermodynamic losses arising from the difference in the redox potentials between the mediator and enzyme can be reduced at the DET-type biocathode. 6 The cell power density of BFCs using a DET-type biocathode is generally limited by the biocathode performance. 7 The distance between the redox site of the enzyme and the electrode material surface is one of the key factors for biocathode development.…”

Enhancement of Electrochemical Performance of Bilirubin Oxidase Modified Gas Diffusion Biocathode by Porphyrin Precursor

“…Similar strategy was extended to the BOx enzymes where the studies show that the substrate-pocket did not exhibit hydrophobic interactions but electrostatic interactions, which are an efficient way to achieve direct wiring of BOx [27]. Along this line, different literature reports have focused on incorporating specific substrates of BOx such as bilirubin [28], quinones [29], and syringaldazine [30] towards appropriate orientation that can be convenient for DET-type electrocatalysis. Our group has previously reported on crosslinking the enzyme to the electrode with orienting agents, two bilirubin functional analogues, pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde and 2,5-dimethyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrrole-3-carbaldehyde, for enzyme orientation and 1-pyrenebutanoic acid, succinimidyl ester (PBSE) as the tethering agent.…”