Abstract
This paper reports the demonstration of a biofuel cell (BFC) with trehalose in insect hemolymph. The analysis result by LC/MS showed that trehalose included in cockroach hemolymph (CHL) was high enough to utilize as a source of power generation. The trehalose BFC was prepared by immobilizing enzymes on electrodes. The maximum power density of 6.07 μW/cm^2 was obtained from cockroach hemolymph added trehalase and mutarotase. Since the open-circuit voltage fell soon due to the adsorption of proteins in the CHL to the surface of the electrodes, the electrodes were protected by a dialysis membrane, which was able to prevent the open-circuit voltage from decreasing by the adsorption and kept it around 300 mV constantly for more than 30 min. Furthermore, the maximum power density was increased to 10.5 μW/cm^2 by using an air electrode. These results show the feasibility of insect power generation based on the electrochemical reactions.
