Graphite electrodes as bioanodes for enzymatic glucose biofuel cell

Abstract

This study investigates the performance of pencil graphite (PG) electrodes to identify the grade of pencil most suitable as bioanode for enzymatic glucose biofuel cell. Pencils of H, 3H, 5H and B grades are selected for this study. The surfaces of different grade PGs are modified with carboxylic acid functionalized multi walled carbon nanotubes (COOH-MW­CNT/PG), followed by immobilization with glucose oxidase (GOx) to fabricate the respect­tive bioanodes (GOx/COOH-MWCNT/PG). Morphological and electrochemical characteri­zations are carried out using scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. All tested PG electrodes exhibited positive results with variable response characteristics towards glucose oxidation reaction. B-grade PG bioanode is found to have the highest coverage of the deposited nanobiocomposite with the fastest electron transfer rate. The half-cell electrode assembly with this grade of PG recorded the highest current density of 4.25 mA cm^-2 at physiological glucose conditions (5 mM glucose, pH 7.0). Enzymatic glucose biofuel cell assembled with B-grade PG bioanode and platinum cathode generated an open circuit potential of 149 mV and maximum power density of 0.789 µW cm⁻² from 5 mM glucose at ambient conditions (25 ± 3^◦C). The results obtained for B-grade PG bioanode are comparable to those of conventional carbon and glassy carbon electrodes, thus demonstrating its applicability to enzymatic glucose biofuel cells.