Glucose Fuel Cells: Electricity From Blood Sugar

Harvesting energy from the human body is an area of growing interest. While several techniques have been explored, the focus in the field is converging on using Glucose Fuel Cells (GFCs) that use glucose oxidation reactions at an anode and oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) at a cathode to create a voltage gradient that can be stored as power. To facilitate these reactions, catalysts are immobilized at an anode and cathode that result in electrochemistry that typically produces two electrons, a water molecule, and gluconic acid. There are two competing classes of these catalysts: enzymes, which use organic proteins, and abiotic options, which use reactive metals. Enzymatic catalysts show better specificity towards glucose, whereas abiotic options show superior operational stability. The most advanced enzymatic test showed a maximum power density of 119 µW/cm2 and an efficiency loss of 4% over 15 hours of operation. The best abiotic experiment resulted in 43 µW/cm2 and exhibited no signs of performance loss after 140 hours. Given the range of existing implantable devices’ power budget from 10 µW to 100 mW and expected operational duration of 10 years or more, GFCs hold promise, but considerable advances need to be made to translate this technology to practical applications.