An easy method for construction of portable biofuel cells using chemically modified enzymes

An effective approach to the construction of enzyme-based electrodes for biofuel cell applications was presented. Enzymes including glucose oxidase (GOD) were first modified with hydrophobic groups, e.g., decanoyl chloride. The electrodes were then prepared by absorbing the modified enzyme on the surface of conductive carbon papers. Desired redox activity of the absorbed enzymes was observed. A biofuel cell was built using modified GOD on the anode along with a gas diffusion oxygen cathode and a Nafion-117 membrane. Electric power generation was observed upon the addition of glucose to the anode chamber. An open circuit voltage of 300 mv and a power density of 2.4 mw/sq cm were realized with the biofuel cell. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 228th ACS National Meeting (Philadelphia, PA 8/22-26/2004).