Electrochemical glucose monitoring has contributed massively to improving the lives of diabetic people. As the prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide and as curing of the two types of diabetes remains elusive, humanity is likely to further benefit from advances in the electrochemical monitoring of glycemia. Following the single-use strips, which now painlessly and accurately monitor gl…
Abstract: We report the temperature, pH, glucose concentration, NaCl concentration, and operating atmosphere dependence of the power output of a compartment-less miniature glucose-O2 biofuel cell, comprised only of two bioelectrocatalyst-coated carbon fibers, each of 7 ím diameter and 2 cm length (Mano, N.; Mao, F.; Heller, A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 12962). The bioelectrocatalyst of…
A biofuel cell, consisting of two 7-ím diameter, 2-cm long carbon fibers and operating at ambient temperature in a pH 5 aqueous solution is described. The areas of the anode and the cathode of the cell are 60 times smaller than those of the smallest reported (methanol oxidizing) fuel cell1 and 180 times smaller than those of the smallest area biofuel cell.2 The power density of the cell exceed…
We describe a biofuel cell operating at 37 °C in a glucosecontaining, aerated, pH 7.2, physiological buffer solution (0.14 MNaCl, 20 mM phosphate). It consists of two 7-ím diameter, 2-cm long, 0.44 mm2, electrocatalyst-coated, carbon fibers. Glucose is electrooxidized to gluconolactone on the anode fiber, and dissolved O2 is electroreduced to water on the cathode fiber. When the cell operate…
Catalysis of the electroreduction of O2 to water determines the operating voltage and thereby the efficiency of the cathode in air batteries, the prime example of which is the zinc air battery, and in fuel cells, the best-studied examples of which are the methanol/air and the H2/O2 cells. When the current density is not limited by O2 transport, the better the catalyst, the less the voltage loss…