Review of Progress and Prospects in Research on Enzymatic and Non- Enzymatic Biofuel Cells; Specific Emphasis on 2D Nanomaterials

Energy generation from renewable sources and effective management are two critical challenges for sustainable development. Biofuel Cells (BFCs) provide an elegant solution by combining these two tasks. BFCs are defined by the catalyst used in the fuel cell and can directly generate electricity from biological substances. Various nontoxic chemical fuels, such as glucose, lactate, urate, alcohol, amines, starch, and fructose, can be used in BFCs and have specific components to oxide fuels. Widely available fuel sources and moderate operational conditions make them promise in renewable energy generation, remote device power sources, etc. Enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs) use enzymes as a catalyst to oxidize the fuel rather than precious metals. The shortcoming of the EBFCs system leads to integrated miniaturization issues, lower power density, poor operational stability, lower voltage output, lower energy density, inadequate durability, instability in the long-term application, and incomplete fuel oxidation. This necessitates the development of non-enzymatic biofuel cells (NEBFCs). The review paper extensively studies NEBFCs and its various synthetic strategies and catalytic characteristics. This paper reviews the use of nanocomposites as biocatalysts in biofuel cells and the principle of biofuel cells as well as their construction elements. This review briefly presents recent technologies developed to improve the biocatalytic properties, biocompatibility, biodegradability, implantability, and mechanical flexibility of BFCs.This work was supported by the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation) under UREP grant #UREP28-052-2-020. The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors

Design and Development of Inexpensive Paper-Based Chemosensors for Detection of Divalent Copper

Abstract: Simple, portable, and low-cost paper-based sensors are alternative devices that have the potential to replace high-cost sensing technologies. The compatibility of the paper base biosensors for both chemical and biochemical accentuates its feasibility for application in clinical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and food quality monitoring. High concentration of copper in blood serum and urine is associated with diseases like liver diseases, carcinomas, acute and chronic infections, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. Detection of copper concentration can give an early sign of Alzheimer disease. Apart from that genetic Wilson's disease can be detected by evaluating the concentration of copper in the urine. In view of the above advantages, a novel and the highly sensitive paper-based sensor has been designed for the selective detection of Cu2+ ions. The fast and highly sensitive chemiresistive multi-dye system sensor can detect Cu2+ ions selectively in as low as 2.23 ppm concentration. Least interference has been observed for counter ion in the detection of Cu2+. Copper chloride, nitrate, and acetate were used to validate the detection process. This assay provides a very high selectivity of Cu2+ ion over other metal cations such as Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, etc. The easy preparation and high stability of dye solutions, easy functionalization of the paper-based sensors, high selectivity over other cations, low interference of counter anion, and significantly low detection limit of 2.23 ppm make it an effective Cu2+ ion sensor for real-time application in near future. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].This work was supported by the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation) under UREP grants #UREP28-052-2-020