Tailoring Nanostructured Supports to Achieve High Performance in Enzymatic Biofuel Cells

Abstract

Enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs) are attractive power sources capable of utilizing biomolecules to generate electrical power. However, their practical utility is limited because of their relatively low power output and short lifetime, which arise from the low enzyme loading capacity on the support materials, activity loss during enzyme immobilization, intrinsically poor enzyme stability, and limited substrate and electron transport. Nanobiocatalytic approaches, in which enzymes are incorporated with nanostructured supports, have been recognized as a potent solution to resolve these limitations. They construct high-performance enzyme electrodes utilizing the affirmative characteristics of the materials coupled with appropriate immobilization strategies. In this review, the roles of nanostructured supports and catalytic mechanisms for generating biofuel-driven electrical power, the recent research progress on EBFCs based on widely investigated nanocarbons, nanoparticles, and polymeric nanofibers, and newly emerged metal–organic frameworks, nanoflowers, and other nanohybrids are discussed. The current challenges and prospects for utilizing nanostructured supports in EBFCs are also discussed.

SAM-Support-Based Electrochemical Sensor for Aβ Biomarker Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease

“…Among these, designing different kinds of electrodes requires expensive equipment along with skilled labor and amplifying the detectable signal is limited by a physical threshold, whereas diverse nanostructured materials on working electrodes have been intensively applied in laboratory environments employing metal, metal oxide, carbon, composite, conductive polymer, and SAM. Practically, tailoring the materials on the electrode surface to achieve a better performance has been conducted in a variety of research areas, like energy [ 91 , 92 ], electrochemical sensors [ 61 , 63 , 93 ], etc. Electrode-modified electrochemical sensors prove their effectiveness by obtaining high sensitivity and selectivity [ 61 , 63 , 93 ], as illustrated in Figure 3 .…”

“…In the organosulfur case, thanks to the sulfur-containing group, Au-S chemical bonding formation can be easily achieved, facilitating this for the head group of alkanethiols anchoring on the Au surface by reductive elimination of the hydrogen. The bonding energy of the Au-S was estimated to be roughly 40 kcal·mol −1 [ 54 , 56 , 92 ]. Organosulfur-compounds-based SAM in electrochemical sensors has been employed for Aβ peptides detection [ 4 , 42 , 53 , 85 ].…”

“…The bonding energy of the Au-S was estimated to be roughly 40 kcal•mol −1 [54,56,92]. Organosulfur-compounds-based SAM in electrochemical sensors has been employed for Aβ peptides detection [4,42,53,85].…”

Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarker Detection Using Field Effect Transistor-Based Biosensor

“…Other materials, including SiO2 and Au, are widely utilized. These materials are a foundation for biological receptor conjugation through the construction of a transitional self-assemble The 2D sheet graphene oxide material-based FET biosensor is a typical example of a carbon material that is well-known for its nanostructure, few-nanometer thickness, high specific surface area, high electron transfer, and flexibility [92]. In addition, graphene oxide has been used in a broad range of applications, including batteries, catalysts, and sensors [93].…”

“…The materials applied to FET biosensors are diverse and abundant. Surface modification is an effective approach for achieving highly impressive performance and has been used in many applications [92,101]. The choice of specific materials for the desired FET biosensors depends on the strategy and availability of the apparatus and the purpose of the practical application.…”