High-performance enzymatic biofuel cell based on flexible carbon cloth modified with MgO-templated porous carbon

We report enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs) based on MgO-templated carbon (MgOC)-carbon textile composite electrodes, which are lightweight, flexible, and used as liquid containers. MgOC particles with a pore size of 40 nm were modified on a carbon cloth substrate using poly(vinylidenedifluoride) as an anodic binder and polytetrafluoroethylene as a cathodic binder. Flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (FAD-GDH) from Aspergillus terreus was used for the anode, with 1,4-naphthoquinone chosen as the redox mediator. The O-2-reducing cathode contains bilirubin oxidase (BOD) from Myrocecium verucaria and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazolin-6-sulfonate) (ABTS), which facilitates electron transfer between the active site of BOD and the electrode. The hydrophobicity of the gas diffusion layer in the textile composite cathode is tuned with the aid of a PTFE binder, to increase the amount of O-2 supplied from the air. The open circuit potential is 0.75 V and maximum output power density is 2 mW cm(-2) at 0.4 V (room temperature, without O-2 gas flow). Our results clearly indicate that MgOC-textile materials are very promising for the development of high-performance, wearable EBFCs.