Methanol Biofuel Cell: Multistep Enzyme Catalysis and Co-factor Mediated Electron Transfer
A new paper by Piyush Kar et al. is now available in JES on simulation of a methanol biofuel cell operating on multistep enzymatic oxidation.
Performance of enzymatic biofuel cells can be affected by a variety of factors that include electrode area, enzyme concentration, pH and concentrations of fuel and co-factor. By simulating complete oxidation of methanol in multiple enzymatic steps coupled with co-factor mediated electron transfer, we illustrate potential improvement in performance that may be enabled by improved electrode design. Our analysis suggests that current density exceeding 10 mA cm-2 can be achieved with optimal electrode design. Cell performance depends on co-factor (NAD+) transport and reduced co-factor (NADH) oxidation kinetics for electrode specific areas lower than 3 m2 cm-3 and is controlled by enzyme kinetics at higher specific areas.
P. Kar, H. Wen, H. Li, S. D. Minteer and S. C. Barton, “Simulation of Multistep Enzyme-Catalyzed Methanol Oxidation in Biofuel Cells,” Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 158(5), B580-B586 (2011). link
