Engineered Tubular Nanocomposite Electrocatalysts Based on CuS for High-Performance, Durable Glucose Fuel Cells and Their Stack

Abstract

Exploring the electrochemically active and robust nanocatalysts for the efficient glucose oxidation reaction (GOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) garners enormous interest in the development of high performance glucose fuel cells (GFCs). The bifunctional copper sulfide (CuS) nanotubes and their specific surface engineering modification with nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH) 2 ) and manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ) nanostructures evade the constrains of existing GOR and ORR catalysts, respectively. On the basis of a systematic electrochemical analysis, the fundamental intrigue on the optimization and influences of core and shell nanostructures toward GFC performances is realized. Under alkaline conditions, CuS@ Ni(OH) 2 and CuS@MnO 2 as GOR and ORR catalysts, respectively, demonstrate the maximum GFC power density of 1.25 mW cm −2 with 300 h of durability. Furthermore, the energy harvest from a GFC stack without any major performance loss in comparison with a single cell enunciate the excellent energetic capabilities of a stack design. These findings thus provide the compatible solutions for the thriving research areas of GOR and ORR, and by coupling the aforesaid research efforts, high performance and durable GFCs are established.

Electrochemical Energy Conversion from Direct Oxidation of Glucose on Active Electrode Materials

“…The electrochemical performances recorded herein are in the same order than those recently reported, [6,15,[45][46][47][48] even if the concentrations of glucose and the supporting electrolyte are 5 and 10 times lower in our case. Due to their simple preparation method from BAE and their proved efficiency, Pt/rGO and bimetallic AuPt/rGO anodes are expected to be largely used in alkaline glucose fuel cells.…”

Hierarchical CuO/NiO-Carbon Nanocomposite Derived from Metal Organic Framework on Cello Tape for the Flexible and High Performance Nonenzymatic Electrochemical Glucose Sensors

“…The full scan X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS) of CuO/​NiO-C demonstrates the presence of C 1s, O 1s, Cu 2p, and Ni 2p (Figure a). , In the core-level XPS spectrum of Cu 2p (Figure b), the peaks centered at 931.6 and 951.5 eV are related, respectively, to the spin–orbit peaks of Cu 2p 3/2 and Cu 2p 1/2 with an energy separation of 19.9 eV, endorsing the presence of Cu 2+ in the CuO phase. The satellite peaks found at 940.6 and 960.2 eV are related, respectively, to the Cu 2p 3/2 and Cu 2p 1/2 . , The core-level Ni 2p spectrum exhibits the characteristic Ni 2p 3/2 and Ni 2p 1/2 peaks, respectively, at 853.5 and 870.7 eV with the spin–orbit energy difference of 17.2 eV, demonstrating the existence of Ni 2+ in CuO/​NiO-C (Figure c) .…”

Optimized Shelf-Stacked Paper Origami-Based Glucose Biofuel Cell with Immobilized Enzymes and a Mediator

“…The selection of substrate material and the fabrication method have become significant factors for developing suitable microscaled devices. To realize these devices, several fabrication methods, such as photolithography, soft lithography, laser micromachining, xurography, three-dimensional (3D) printing, and paper-based, have been reported. − Among these, the paper-based substrate has received remarkable attention in the scientific community. As a substrate material, a scientific-grade porous paper has several unique advantages over conventional device materials, such as flexibility, portability, user-friendliness, and, the most significant, the possibility to transport a fluid via capillary action in a power-free and self-pumping manner .…”