Electrical Coupling of Enzymes to Electrodes in Biofuel Cells and Biobatteries

R. Bilewicz¹, K. Stolarczyk¹, D. £yp¹, M. Kizling¹, M. Karaskiewicz¹, J.F. Biernat², K. Żelechowska³, J. Rogalski⁴, K.P. Roberts⁵,

¹ Faculty of Chemistry University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

² Department of Chemistry, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdansk, Poland,

³ Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdansk, Poland of Chemistry

⁴Department of Biochemistry, Maria Curie Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland

⁵Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, USA

Abstract

Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were equipped with aryl residues by chemical reactions. These insoluble materials were used to substitute classical soluble mediators, which help to transfer electrical charge between the conducting electrode and the redox active center of enzyme molecules. The effect of different aryl residues on the efficiency of the catalytic mediatorless reduction of dioxygen in the presence of laccase was systematically studied using voltammetry and measuring the power output of a biofuel cell.