원문정보
초록
영어
Biofuel cells are a specific type of fuel cell which uses biocatalysts such as enzymes and microorganisms to gain electric energy from chemical energy. They do not need high pressure and temperature for their working. The most potential application of enzymatic biofuel cells, which consist of a bioanode which oxidizes glucose to glucolactone and a biocathode which reduces oxygen to water, is for implantable power sources such as microscale cells implanted in blood vessels. As a bioanode for enzymatic fuel cells, we selected the following modified electrode. Glucose oxidase (GOx) was entrapped in a matrix of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and chitosan on a glassy carbon electrode. MWCNTs selectively wrapped by a water-soluble, environmentally-friendly, biocompatible polymer chitosan were employed for the construction of a bioelectrochemical platform for the direct electron transfer (DET) of GOx. They are also expected to act as an electron transfer promoter. Using cyclic voltammetry, we checked that the DET between GOx and anode took place in a phosphate buffer solution (100 mM, pH 7) saturated with argon as well as with oxygen. The experimental results demonstrated that the immobilized GOx retained its catalytic activity towards the oxidation of glucose under the aerobic conditions.