A fully protected hydrogenase/polymer-based bioanode for high-performance hydrogen/glucose biofuel cells

• Main Author: Ruff, Adrian
• Publication Date: 2018
• Other Authors: Szczesny, Julian, Marković, Nikola, Conzuelo, Felipe, Zacarias, Sónia, Pereira, Inês A.C., Lubitz, Wolfgang, Schuhmann, Wolfgang
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06106-3
• topic: Chemistry(all); Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all); Physics and Astronomy(all)

Hydrogenases with Ni- and/or Fe-based active sites are highly active hydrogen oxidation catalysts with activities similar to those of noble metal catalysts. However, the activity is connected to a sensitivity towards high-potential deactivation and oxygen damage. Here we report a fully protected polymer multilayer/hydrogenase-based bioanode in which the sensitive hydrogen oxidation catalyst is protected from high-potential deactivation and from oxygen damage by using a polymer multilayer architecture. The active catalyst is embedded in a low-potential polymer (protection from high-potential deactivation) and covered with a polymer-supported bienzymatic oxygen removal system. In contrast to previously reported polymer-based protection systems, the proposed strategy fully decouples the hydrogenase reaction form the protection process. Incorporation of the bioanode into a hydrogen/glucose biofuel cell provides a benchmark open circuit voltage of 1.15 V and power densities of up to 530 µW cm−2 at 0.85 V.