May H. Wang , Liting Wang

Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Journal of Energy Bioscience, 2024, Vol. 15, No. 5   doi: 10.5376/jeb.2024.15.0029
Received: 19 Aug., 2024    Accepted: 28 Sep., 2023    Published: 14 Oct., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Wang M.H., and Wang L.T., 2024, Design and performance optimization of enzyme-catalyzed biofuel cells, Journal of Energy Bioscience, 15(5): 314-325 (doi: 10.5376/jeb.2024.15.0029)

Significant progress has been made in improving the stability and catalytic efficiency of the enzymes used in enzyme-catalyzed biofuel cells (EBFC) by addressing key challenges such as enzyme stability, electron transfer efficiency, and power density to design and optimize the performance of EBFCs. For instance, the use of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) and cascaded enzymes-glucose oxidase (GOx)/horseradish peroxidase (HRP) co-embedded hydrophilic MAF-7 biocatalyst resulted in an 8-fold increase in power density and a 13-fold increase in stability in human blood compared to unprotected enzymes. Additionally, the development of multi-enzyme catalysis strategies and the use of nanomaterials such as carbon nanodots and CNT sponges have shown notable improvements in power output and enzyme lifetime. Directed evolution techniques have also been employed to enhance the activity and pH stability of diaphorase, leading to a 4- to 7-fold increase in catalytic activity under acidic conditions. The findings of this study demonstrate that the integration of advanced nanomaterials and enzyme engineering techniques can significantly improve the performance of EBFCs. These improvements pave the way for the practical application of EBFCs in wearable and implantable medical devices, offering a sustainable and efficient energy source.

Enzyme-catalyzed biofuel cells; Enzyme stability; Electron transfer; Power density; Nanomaterials; Directed evolution; Wearable devices; Implantable devices