A Membraneless Single Compartment Abiotic Glucose Fuel Cell

A rapid growth in technology and a sheer dependence on fossil fuels and disposable power supplies has produced an energy crisis in dire need of assistance. As a result, energy harvesting techniques have recently received a significant amount of attention in order to find environmentally friendly, renewable alternatives to provide power to everyday conveniences. Focus has been placed on using biological fluids as a potential source of energy for implantable sensors and life-saving medical devices. An abiotically catalyzed fuel cell has been successfully fabricated, based on a glucose oxidizing aluminum and gold electrode, coated with zinc oxide nanoparticles and combined with an oxygen reducing, platinum cathode. The fuel cell was able to achieve a peak power density of 16.2 ?W cm^-2 and a short circuit current density of 93.33 ?A cm^-2. Additionally, the cell was able to light an LED using two different electronic circuits, further supporting potential microelectronic applications