An abiotically catalyzed glucose fuel cell for powering medical implants: Reconstructed manufacturing protocol and analysis of performance

Although the first abiotically catalyzed glucose fuel cells have already been developed as sustainable power supply for medical implants in the 1970s, no detailed information concerning the fabrication of these devices has been published so far. Here we present a comprehensive manufacturing protocol for such a fuel cell, together with a detailed analysis of long-term performance in neutral buffer containing physiological amounts of glucose and oxygen. In air saturated solution a power density of (3.3 ± 0.2) μW cm−2 is displayed after 10 days of operation that gradually decreases to a value of (1.0 ± 0.05) μW cm−2 in the course of 224 days. A novelty of this work is the characterization of fuel cell performance with individually resolved electrode potentials. Using this technique, we can show that the major part of performance degradation originates from a positive shift of the anode potential, indicating that a more poisoning-resistant glucose oxidation catalyst would improve the degradation behavior of the fuel cell. As further factors influencing performance an incomplete reactant separation and a mass transfer governed cathode reaction under the relatively low oxygen partial pressures of body tissue have been identified. Consequently we propose an oxygen depleting electrode interlayer and the application of more effective oxygen reduction catalysts as promising strategies to further improve the fuel cell performance under physiological concentrations of glucose and oxygen.