Enzymatic biofuel cells for micropower source applications

FUEL 193

Plamen Atanassov, plamen@unm.edu, Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, University of New Mexico, 209 Farris Engineering Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131 and Christopher Apblett, caapble@sandia.gov, Sandia National Laboratories, PO Box 5800-0603, Albuquerque, NM 87185.
Enzymatic bio-fuel cells present a viable candidate for ultimate miniaturization because it is a class of energy conversion devices that employ molecular electrocatalysts – enzymes and hierarchical surface architectures developed in the course of the advancement of bio-nano interface technology. Many of the fabrication technologies and 3D structural motifs can be achieved with today's MEMS fabrication tools. In general, enzymatic bio-fuel cells can be successfully employed in devices where “scavenging” for environmentally available fuel sources is feasible and diversity of fuels is desirable. We have developed the synthesis of a hierarchically porous conductive membranes derived from carbon papers with consecutively grown multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). The enzyme electrode formation was then achieved by layer-by-layer deposition of the protein and polymers with opposite charges. The coverage was following the hierarchically structured material architecture. This paper will discuss devices that take advantage of these nanostructures for power generation.
 

Fuel Cell Technology: Biofuel Cells, Enzymatic and Microbial
8:25 AM-12:05 PM, Wednesday, August 22, 2007 Boston Park Plaza -- Arlington Rm, Oral

Division of Fuel Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007