Buckypaper bioelectrodes: emerging materials for implantable and wearable biofuel cells

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Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely exploited for the development of enzymatic biofuel cells with sufficient power densities in the μW to mW range for operating low-power bioelectronic devices from renewable substrates. Buckypaper is a randomly oriented self-supporting film of carbon nanotubes, resembling an electronic paper, with excellent prospects for the construction of high performance enzymatic electrodes for use in biofuel cells. Attractive properties of buckypaper materials include large specific surface areas, high electrical conductivity, flexibility, biocompatibility, scalable production and the ability for efficient electron transfer with enzymes. Buckypapers are ideal self-supporting frameworks for enzymes and guest molecules such as metals, polymers and redox molecules, permitting the development of a wide range of catalytic bioelectrode interfaces. This review summarizes recent developments and advances of buckypaper bioelectrodes as an emerging component for body-integrated energy harvesting biodevices.

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Microbial fuel cells: From fundamentals to applications. A review

Carlo Santoro, Catia Arbizzani, Benjamin Erable … (2017)

In the past 10–15 years, the microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology has captured the attention of the scientific community for the possibility of transforming organic waste directly into electricity through microbially catalyzed anodic, and microbial/enzymatic/abiotic cathodic electrochemical reactions. In this review, several aspects of the technology are considered. Firstly, a brief history of abiotic to biological fuel cells and subsequently, microbial fuel cells is presented. Secondly, the development of the concept of microbial fuel cell into a wider range of derivative technologies, called bioelectrochemical systems, is described introducing briefly microbial electrolysis cells, microbial desalination cells and microbial electrosynthesis cells. The focus is then shifted to electroactive biofilms and electron transfer mechanisms involved with solid electrodes. Carbonaceous and metallic anode materials are then introduced, followed by an explanation of the electro catalysis of the oxygen reduction reaction and its behavior in neutral media, from recent studies. Cathode catalysts based on carbonaceous, platinum-group metal and platinum-group-metal-free materials are presented, along with membrane materials with a view to future directions. Finally, microbial fuel cell practical implementation, through the utilization of energy output for practical applications, is described.