Enzymatic Biofuel Cell Using FAD-GDH and Graphene-Coated Carbon Fiber Cloth

Abstract

An enzymatic biofuel cell (EBFC) is a device that uses an enzyme as a catalyst to convert chemical energy into electrical energy by a redox reaction to generate electricity. EBFC has the advantage that it can operate under mild conditions (normal temperature, normal pressure, and near neutral pH) and can use various energy sources such as sugar and alcohol. Hoshi et al. reported EBFC of glucose fuel using graphene-coated carbon fiber cloth (GCFC) with a large specific surface area. However, it was considered that GOD was affected by dissolved oxygen in the fuel and generated hydrogen peroxide, which hindered the reaction. In order to further increase the output, it was necessary to improve the performance of the anode with a novel enzyme that is less affected by oxygen and generates electricity from glucose. Therefore, we focused on FAD glucose dehydrogenase (FAD-GDH). It can generate electricity with glucose fuel by using it as a catalyst like GOD. Characteristic is that it is resistant to impurities such as maltose and galactose and is not easily affected by oxygen. It was thought that this would alleviate the concern about hydrogen peroxide and improve the output.