Current-Voltage Modeling of the Enzymatic Glucose Fuel Cells

Abstract

Enzymatic fuel cells produce electrical power by oxidation of renewable energy sources. An enzy-matic glucose biofuel cell uses glucose as fuel and enzymes as biocatalyst, to convert biochemical energy into electrical energy. The applications which need low electrical voltages and low currents have much of the interest in developing enzymatic fuel cells. An analytical modelling of an enzymatic fuel cell should be used, while developing fuel cell, to estimate its various parameters, to attain the highest power value. In this paper an analytical model for enzymatic glucose mem-braneless fuel cell with direct electron transfer was developed. The adequacy of the model was estimated by comparison with fuel cells parameters. The electrical characteristics of fuel cells are interpreted using this model, based on theoretical consideration of ions transportation in solution. The influence of the hydrogen ions, glucose and enzyme concentration and also a thickness of enzyme layer on electrical parameters of a fuel cell were investigated. The electrical parameters such as a current, a voltage, a power were calculated by the model, for various parameters of the fuel cells. The model aimed to predict a hydrogen ions current, an electrical voltage and an electrical power in enzymatic fuel cell with direct electron transfer. The model reveals that increasing the rates of hydrogen ions generation and consumption leads to higher value of current, voltage and power.