Output Current Increase in Alkaline Glucose Fuel Cells

Due to the environmental burden of fossil fuel combustion, a major strategic shift towards renewable green sources and environmentally benign power generation technology makes glucose biofuel cells a possible alternative, though their extremely low current density remains a bottleneck for the further practical applications. We report here an alkaline glucose fuel cell based on nickel (Ni) electrodes without the catalyst poisoning found in Pt systems. Output current increase, up to six times the initial value, was observed over extensive operation time. It is found to be caused by the transformation of glucose to an enediol form on the anode, the expansion of triple phase boundaries where cathode reactions take place, and the enhancement of reaction kinetics by alkaline solution on the cathode. The results not only provide a dramatic increase in current and overall glucose fuel cell performance, but also demonstrate a low cost approach to renewable source utilization, if corresponding designs can be implemented. (C) 2011 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3596019] All rights reserved.