Enzyme Immobilization Using Carbon Nanotubes for Direct Electron Transfer in a Hybrid Membraneless Fuel Cell

Hybrid membraneless fuel cells HMFC are devices that use an abiotic catalysts and an enzymatic material, in the anode or cathode, with the main target of provide stability and higher performance. HMFC was evaluated using Glucose oxidase enzyme supported in Multiwalled carbon nanotubes and glutaraldehyde mixtures (GOx/MWCNT-GA) and Pt/C as anode and cathode respectively under ideal conditions. The anode electrode based on GOx/MWCNT-GA was characterized by electrochemical techniques showing a successful direct electron transfer (DET) between GOx and MWCNT to electrode surface. The performance of ideal HMFC delivers a higher OCP of 1.2 V and a maximum power density of 200 µW cm^-2 in the presence of 10 mM glucose as fuel in phosphate buffer (PB) pH 7 as anolyte and oxygen-saturated 0.3M KOH as catholyte. These results show a highest performance reported to HMFC that implement DET in the anode electrode, with potential application in implantable devices inside living organisms.