A gas breathing hydrogen/air biofuel cell comprising a redox polymer/hydrogenase-based bioanode.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30413708.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-018-07137-6 and PMC identifier 6226449.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Hydrogen is one of the most promising alternatives for fossil fuels. However, the power output of hydrogen/oxygen fuel cells is often restricted by mass transport limitations of the substrate. Here, we present a dual-gas breathing H<sub>2</sub>/air biofuel cell that overcomes these limitations. The cell is equipped with a hydrogen-oxidizing redox polymer/hydrogenase gas-breathing bioanode and an oxygen-reducing bilirubin oxidase gas-breathing biocathode (operated in a direct electron transfer regime). The bioanode consists of a two layer system with a redox polymer-based adhesion layer and an active, redox polymer/hydrogenase top layer. The redox polymers protect the biocatalyst from high potentials and oxygen damage. The bioanodes show remarkable current densities of up to 8 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>. A maximum power density of 3.6 mW cm<sup>-2</sup> at 0.7 V and an open circuit voltage of up to 1.13 V were achieved in biofuel cell tests, representing outstanding values for a device that is based on a redox polymer-based hydrogenase bioanode.
Medical subject headings
- Air
- Biofuels
- Hydrogen
- Hydrogenase
- Polymers