Characterization of glucose biofuel cell based on electrodes modified by carbon nano horns

Abstract

In this study, a film-like biofuel cell (BFC) using carbon nano-horn (CNH) as an electrode material was fabricated using micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. The cell was fabricated on a flexible polyimide (PI) substrate, and a porous carbon-coated aluminum (Al) electrode with a width of 3.0 mm and a length of 10 mm was formed using photolithography and screen-printing techniques. The BFC investigated consists of a porous carbon anode (area of 30 mm2) modified by glucose oxidase and ferrocene, and a cathode (area of 30 mm2) modified by bilirubin oxidase. The constructed BFC was able to produce a power density of 18.0 µW/cm2 in phosphate buffer wherein 100 mM glucose was dissolved at room temperature, and this value was at least 10 times that of the BFC reported by Y. Fukushi et al. Furthermore, by examining the temperature-dependence of the BFC's power density, it was possible to attain a maximum power density of 39.9 µW/cm2 in a phosphate buffer solution wherein 100 mM glucose was dissolved at 40 °C.