Highly ordered mesoporous carbons-based glucose/O2 biofuel cell

This study demonstrates a novel compartment-less glucose/O2 biofuel cell (BFC) based on highly ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) with three-dimensionally (3D) interconnected and ordered pore structures. OMCs are used as supports for both stably confining the electrocatalyst (i.e., meldola's blue, MDB) for NADH oxidation and the anodic biocatalyst (i.e., NAD+-dependent glucose dehydrogenase, GDH) for glucose oxidation, and for facilitating direct electrochemistry of the cathodic biocatalyst (i.e., laccase, LAC) for O2 electroreduction. In 0.10 M pH 6.0 PBS containing 20 mM NAD+ and 60 mM glucose under the air-saturated atmosphere, the open circuit voltage (0.82 V) and the maximum power output (38.7 μW cm−2 (at 0.54 V)) of the assembled compartment-less OMCs-based BFC are both higher than those of carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-based BFC (0.75 V and 2.1 μW cm−2 (at 0.46 V)). These may make OMCs to be another kind of robust and advanced carbon electrode material besides CNTs for BFCs applications.