Fully enzymatic mediatorless fuel cell with efficient naphthylated carbon nanotube–laccase composite cathodes

An efficient, mediator-free enzymatic glucose/O2 biofuel cell with an oxygen insensitive anode based on glucose dehydrogenase is presented. In the device, the power of the biofuel cell and electrode potentials of each of the enzymatic electrodes were monitored in parallel under the biofuel cell working conditions. The carbon nanotube composite biocathode demonstrates an almost constant electrode potential vs. saturated calomel electrode under changing loads of the biofuel cell, even when relatively high current flows through the circuit. The fuel cell reveals good stability in time and is more powerful than other enzymatic film based biofuel cells; the power densities were 131 ± 4 μW·cm− 2 at 300 mV.

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► Tailored SWCNTs improve direct communication of laccase with electrode surface, current density reached 900 µA·cm−2.
► Efficient, stable, mediator-free enzymatic biofuel cell of power density 130 µW·cm−2 is presented.
► Naphtylated SWCNTs biocathode demonstrates an almost constant potential even when high current flows through the circuit.