Biofuel cells (BFCs) use either enzymes or bacteria to catalyse a fuel to generate power. Their advantages over conventional fuels is that they do not use precious metals and the high selectivity of biocatalysts mean that no separation membranes are required between the electrodes. However, the application of BFCs is limited by their low power output and poor enzyme lifetimes. This thesis addresses these limitations by investigating aligned carbon nanotubes (aCNTs) as potential electrode materials. These aCNT electrodes offer high surface areas to increase enzyme coverage and hence power output and their surface topology can stabilise the enzymes to ensure maximum lifetime and current density.A novel BFC half cell was developed using aCNTs and the fungal enzyme, Trametes versicolor laccase which catalyses the four-electron reduction of oxygen to water. Laccase was shown to communicate directly with the nanotubes enabling the oxidant reduction reaction to be monitored without the need for mediators. Initial investigations compared aCNTs with other commonly reported carbon electrodes and found that the current densities were ~30-fold higher on the aCNTs than at pyrolytic graphite edge electrodes. The high surface area of these electrodes contributed to greater electroactive coverage of enzyme and minimal loss of enzyme upon deposition. Cathodic currents increased linearly with geometric electrode area; however they did not scale with actual electrode surface area and the current density was limited to the order of μA cm-2 due to O2-transport limitations. It was also discovered that the porous contribution of these aCNT electrodes could lead to misleading interpretations on nanotube electrochemistry. This effect was observed when increments in electrode area resulted in apparently significantly faster kinetics. This improvement in catalytic behaviour was proposed to be due to a transition from mass diffusion limited to thin layer cell behaviour exhibited by porous materials. Thermal pretreatment of the aCNT electrodes in oxidative and reductive atmospheres were found to improve their performance. These treatments worked by changing the nanotube surface chemistry and purifying the nanotubes, as evidenced by various physical characterisation methods. Furthermore, laccase activity was enhanced significantly after electrodes had been treated under both atmospheres, where it was believed that the removal of contaminant material and higher defect densities increased electrochemical performance.Finally, mass transport limitations were addressed by developing micro-patterned aCNT electrodes which possessed channels in the arrays, allowing better oxygen diffusion. Fundamental studies showed higher current densities per surface area and thus represent a promising electrode for future BFC research.

Biofuel cells (BFCs) that utilize enzymes as catalysts represent a new sustainable and renewable energy technology. Numerous efforts have been directed to improve the performance of the enzymatic BFCs (EBFCs) with respect to power output and operational stability for further applications in portable power sources, self-powered electrochemical sensing, implantable medical devices, etc. This concept article details the latest advances about the EBFCs based on porous nanoarchitectures over the past 5 years. Porous matrices from carbon, noble metal, and polymer promote the development of EBFCs through the electron transfer and mass transport benefits. We will also discuss some key issues on how these nanostructured porous media improve the performance of EBFCs in the end.

Les biopiles enzymatiques miniatures représentent un potentiel important pour la future génération de dispositifs médicaux implantables, utilisés pour le diagnostic, le pronostic et le traitement. Ces derniers fonctionnent actuellement avec des sources d'énergie externes. Ces biopiles utilisant les molécules présentes dans les fluides biologiques sont des dispositifs médicaux prometteurs. Le glucose, qui est abondamment disponible dans le corps, est à l’étude comme biocarburant permettant de produire de l’énergie. Les enzymes utilisées pour produire l'énergie à partir des produits biochimiques sont immobilisées sur des électrodes en or par des médiateurs redox. Cependant, la faible puissance actuellement disponible et la sensibilité des enzymes à l'environnement limitent leur application in vivo. Malgré des recherches intensives, de nombreux problèmes restent à résoudre, notamment l'amélioration de la puissance, de la stabilité et de la biocompatibilité des biopiles.La réaction à corps étranger et l'isolement du dispositif médical par la formation d'une capsule fibreuse peuvent d'une part dénaturer les enzymes et, d'autre part, entraver la diffusion des analytes et de l'oxygène. Le travail décrit dans cette thèse vise à protéger les biopiles fonctionnant à base de glucose. Afin de résoudre les problèmes mentionnés ci-dessus, les hydrogels, actuellement développés pour diverses applications telles que l'administration de médicaments, l'ingénierie tissulaire et les dispositifs médicaux, offrent des propriétés prometteuses en tant que matériaux de revêtement.La première partie de la thèse est centrée sur l'évaluation de différents hydrogels injectables de faible poids moléculaire, en analysant à la fois la gélification in vitro et in vivo, la cinétique de dégradation, la réaction à corps étranger et l'angiogenèse. Les hydrogels présentent une dégradation lente et une intégration tissulaire optimale. Une angiogenèse accrue a été observée en raison de la libération d'une molécule pro-angiogénique pendant la dégradation de l'hydrogel.Dans la seconde partie de la thèse, l'un des hydrogels étudiés a été utilisé pour recouvrir l'électrode en or : le choix de l'enzyme a été basé sur des études de stabilité in vitro. En parallèle, le processus de revêtement a été optimisé, à la fois pour son uniformité et son épaisseur. Même si un revêtement plus épais présente l’avantage de protéger l’électrode contre la réaction à corps étranger, il est nécessaire de limiter l’épaisseur afin de maintenir une diffusion efficace des analytes et de l’oxygène.Les expériences en cours décrites dans la dernière partie de la thèse sont axées sur l'optimisation de l'implantation chez le rat et la mesure de l'activité des biopiles. De plus, les électrodes ont été connectées à une antenne pour établir une communication sans fil ; en effet, cela permettrait une mesure non invasive de l'activité enzymatique.En conclusion, ces travaux ont permis d'identifier un hydrogel pouvant être utilisé pour revêtir les électrodes de biopiles. Le sous-produit libéré lors de la biodégradation favorise l'angiogenèse au voisinage du matériau. Grâce à ce revêtement, on peut donc s'attendre à un échange accru d'analytes et d'oxygène, préalable indispensable à l'activité enzymatique. / Miniature enzymatic biofuel cells hold great potential to power the future generation of implantable medical devices, which are currently working on external power sources used for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Enzymatic biofuel cells appear to be promising in harvesting the energy from biochemicals present in physiological body fluids. Glucose, which is abundantly available in the body, is being explored as a biofuel to harvest energy. The enzymes employed to harvest the energy from the biochemicals are electrically wired on gold electrodes by redox mediators. However, the limitation of insufficient power, and the sensitivity of the enzymes towards host environment restrict their in vivo application. Despite several attempts, numerous challenges remain to be addressed such as improved current density, increased stability, and biocompatibility of enzymatic biofuel cells.Foreign body reaction and isolation of the medical device by formation of a fibrous capsule may firstly denature the enzymes, and secondly hinder the diffusion of analytes and oxygen. The work described in this thesis aims at protecting glucose based biofuel cells. As a strategy for combatting the bottlenecks mentioned above, hydrogels, currently developed for various applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, and medical device, offer promising properties as coating materials.The first part of the thesis is focused on evaluating different low molecular weight injectable hydrogels by analysing both in vitro and in vivo gel formation, degradation kinetics, foreign body reaction and angiogenesis. The hydrogels exhibit slow degradation, and optimal tissue integration. Enhanced angiogenesis was observed due to a pro-angiogenic molecule released during hydrogel degradation.In the second part of the thesis, one of the studied hydrogels was used to coat the gold electrode functionalised with enzyme: the selection of the enzyme was based on in vitro stability studies. In parallel, the process of coating was optimised, both for uniformity and thickness. Although a thicker coating should protect the electrode against foreign body reaction, it was necessary to limit the thickness in order to maintain an efficient analyte and oxygen diffusion.Ongoing experiments described in the last part of the thesis are focused on the optimisation of implantation in rat and measurement of the biofuel cell activity. In addition, the electrodes were connected to an antenna for wireless communication; indeed, such a device would allow for a non-invasive measurement of enzyme activity.To conclude, this work allowed for the identification of a hydrogel that can be used to coat the electrodes of biofuel cells. The byproduct released during the biodegradation favours angiogenesis in the vicinity of the material. Thanks to this coating, we can therefore expect an enhanced exchange of analytes and oxygen, which is a prerequisite for enzyme activity.

Le but de cette thèse était de fabriquer des structures cœur / coquille à base de nanofils d’oxyde de zinc (ZnO) pour des applications en photovoltaïques principalement, et ensuite pour des détecteurs UV. Des réseaux de nanofils de ZnO de dimensions contrôlées ont été synthétisés en utilisant la méthode d’électrodéposition de ZnO (ECD). Nous avons également synthétisé des oursins organisés à base de nanofils de ZnO (U-ZnO NWs) en combinant les méthodes de nanostructuration de surface (auto-assemblage de sphères de polystyrène), dépôt de couche atomique (ALD) et ECD de ZnO. Plusieurs approches concernant le contrôle des dimensions de ces nanofils ont été envisagées. Les diamètres, la densité et la morphologie de ces nanofils ont été ajustés soit en modifiant les diamètres des sphères utilisés soit en modulant les paramètres expérimentaux durant la déposition (ALD et/ou ECD). Des monocouches et des multicouches de U-ZnO NWs de longueur variant de 750 nm jusqu'à 1500 nm ont été obtenus dans une large gamme de diamètre (57-170 nm).Ces matériaux ont été utilisés pour la construction de cellules solaires à colorant (DSSC) à base de réseaux de nanofils et des U-ZnO NWs, recouverts de couches minces d’oxyde de titane (TiO2) par dépôt de couches atomiques (ALD). Des rendements de conversion solaire de ~ 2% ont été atteints, sachant que le ZnO absorbe seulement dans l’UV. Ces matériaux ont été également utilisés pour la construction de cellules solaires de type II formés des U-ZnO NWs recouverts de couches d’oxyde de cuivre (Cu2O) de différentes épaisseurs par ECD. Les effets de la morphologie et des dimensions des nanofils et des U-ZnO NWs sur la diffusion de la lumière et la performance électronique des dispositifs ont été étudiés. Des capteurs d’ultraviolet ont été testés en utilisant les nanofils et les U-ZnO NWs. Une amélioration significative de la performance et de la stabilité en matière de détection UV a été observée en utilisant ces nanostructures de ZnO. Cela est dû à l'augmentation de la surface active offerte par les nanofils et les U-ZnO NWs en comparaison avec la performance obtenue avec les couches minces de ZnO. Finalement, une bioélectrode à base de nanofibres de polyacrylonitrile (PAN) recouverts par une couche d’or a été préparée pour la réduction électrochimique du CO2 en biocarburants utiles. L'électrode de PAN / Or a été préparée en utilisant une méthode de synthèse basée sur l'électrofilage suivi d'une pulvérisation d'Or. Une amélioration significative de l'activité électrochimique et de la stabilité de la bioélectrode a été observée. / The aim of this thesis was to fabricate core / shell structures based on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires for photovoltaic applications mainly, and UV sensors as well. ZnO nanowire arrays of controlled size were grown using electrodeposition method (ECD). We also synthesized organized urchins based on ZnO nanowires by combining methods of surface nanostructuring (self-assembly of polystyrene spheres), atomic layer deposition (ALD) and electrodeposition of ZnO (ECD). Several approaches concerning the control of dimensions on these nanowires have been investigated. The diameter, density and morphology of these nanowires were adjusted either by modifying the diameters of spheres or by modulating the experimental parameters during deposition (ALD and / or ECD). Organized monolayers and multilayers of urchins based on ZnO nanowires ranging between 750 -1500 nm in length were obtained in a diameter range between 50-170 nm. The construction of dye solar cells (DSSC) was based on nanowire arrays and organized urchins based on ZnO nanowires coated with thin shells of titanium oxide (TiO2) obtained by atomic layer deposition (ALD). As proof of concept, solar conversion efficiencies of ~ 2% were achieved, bearing in mind that ZnO absorbs only in UV range. These materials have also been used for solar cells construction of type II based on organized urchin-like ZnO nanowires coated with copper oxide (Cu2O) layers of different thicknesses by electrodeposition of Cu2O. The effects of the morphology and the dimension of the organized nanowires and urchin-like ZnO nanowires on light scattering and electronic performance of the devices have been studied. UV sensors were tested using nanowires and urchin-like ZnO nanowires. A significant improvement in the performance and stability in UV detection was observed when using these ZnO nanostructures. This is due to the increase in active area offered by the ZnO nanowires and urchins compared to the performance obtained with ZnO thin films. Finally, a bioelectrode based on polyacrylonitrile nanofibers (PAN) coated with a layer of gold has been prepared for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 into useful biofuels. The PAN/gold electrode was prepared using a homemade synthesis method, based on electrospinning followed by gold sputtering. A significant improvement in the electrochemical activity and the stability of the bioelectrode was observed.

Les biopiles représentent une solution attractive et ambitieuse pour développer des systèmes alternatifs de conversion d'énergie. Ce travail décrit la construction d'une biopile à éthanol/O2 (oxydation de l'éthanol à l'anode et réduction de l'oxygène à la cathode) avec des électrodes tridimensionnelles possédant une surface spécifique élevée. Le point de départ a été la fabrication et l'optimisation de bioélectrodes enzymatiques par immobilisation d'enzymes et de médiateurs sur des nanofibres de polyacrylonitrile, préparées par la méthode d'électrospinning, et recouvertes d'or. Ces bioélectrodes à base de nanofibres (biocathode et bioanode) ont été assemblées pour construire et caractériser une biopile à éthanol/O2 qui a fourni une densité de puissance de 1600 µW/cm2 par la méthode de polarisation et 210 µW/cm2 par imposition de résistances au système. Enfin, nous avons décrit la fabrication de la première biopile miniaturisée à éthanol/oxygène avec des enzymes immobilisées sur électrodes Au en s'appuyant sur les concepts de la microfluidique. La biopile microfluidique la plus performante a délivré 90 µW/cm2. Afin d'augmenter la puissance délivrée par ces systèmes miniaturisés, des résultats préliminaires ont été obtenus sur l'empilement en série ou en parallèle de biopiles fonctionnant avec des enzymes en solution. / Biofuel cells represent an attractive and ambitious option for developing alternative systems of energy conversion. This work describes the construction of an ethanol/O2 biofuel cell (ethanol oxidation at the anode and oxygen reduction oxygen at the cathode) from tridimensional electrodes with high specific surface area. The starting point was the synthesis and the optimization of the enzymatic bioelectrodes on gold electrodes by immobilizing enzymes and mediatorson polyacrylonitrile nanofibers, obtained by electrospinning method, and recovered by gold nanoparticles. The bioelectrodes (bioanode and biocathode) based on nanofibers have been assembled to build and to characterize an ethanol/O2 biofuel cell that has delivered a power density of 1600 µW/cm2 by the polarization method, and 210 µW/cm2 by imposing resistances to the system. Finally, we have described the production of the first miniaturized ethanol/O2 biofuel cell with immobilized enzymes at Au electrodes based on microfluidic concepts. The best microfluidic biofuel cell has delivered 90 µW/cm2. In order to increase the power delivered by these miniaturized systems, preliminary results have been obtained by stacking biofuel cells, working with enzymes in solution, in series or parallel.

Ce mémoire est consacré à l'optimisation de la connexion enzymatique d'enzymes pour l'oxydation du glucose et la réduction de O2 sur matrices de nanotube de carbone (CNT) dans les biopiles à glucose.Premièrement, le transfert électronique indirect de la glucose oxydase (GOx) est optimisé dans une matrice nanostructurée de CNT contenant la 1,4-naphtoquinone comme médiateur rédox. Cette bioanode a ensuite été combinée avec des biocathodes similaires à bases d'enzymes à cuivre (laccase et tyrosinase). La biopile GOx-NQ/Lac a permis d'obtenir des puissances maximales de l'ordre de 1,5 mW.cm-2. Les utilisations de cette pile en décharge courte, longue et sa stabilité dans le temps ont également été étudiées. La seconde partie présente la préparation d'une autre anode basée sur la connexion indirecte d'une glucose déshydrogènase NAD+-dépendante (GDH-NAD+) comme alternative pour l'oxydation du glucose. La GDH-NAD+ a été combinée avec un catalyseur d'oxydation de NADH par différentes méthodes. Tout d'abord, elle a été encapsulée au sein du métallopolymère rédox, puis, la modification supramoléculaire a dans un second temps permis d'immobiliser le catalyseur moléculaire et l'enzyme à la surface des CNTs. Ces deux bioanodes ont permis respectivement l'obtention de courants catalytiques d'oxydation du glucose de 1,04 et 6 mA.cm-2. La seconde bioanode a été combinée avec une biocathode à base de BOD et a permis l'obtention de densités de courants maximales de l'ordre de 140 µW.cm-2 La dernière partie concerne l'élaboration d'une biocathode bienzymatique pour la réduction de O2. Le DET de la HRP sur CNTs a dans un premier temps été optimisé par modification de la surface par différents dérivés pyrène. Ensuite, la combinaison de la GOx et de la HRP sur la même électrode a permis de réduire efficacement O2 en 2 étapes. La biocathode est capable de délivrer une densité de courant maximale de l'ordre de 200 µA.cm-2. Cette dernière, combinée avec la bioanode GDH présentée précédemment a permis d'obtenir une biopile opérationnelle en conditions physiologiques et 10 mM de NAD+, en étant capable de débiter une densité de puissance maximale de l'ordre de 57 µW.cm-2. / This work focuses on the optimization of the electrical wiring of glucose oxidizing and dioxygen reducing enzymes on carbon nanotube (CNT) matrixes for glucose biofuel cells.In the first part, glucose oxidase (GOx) mediated electron transfer (MET) is optimized in nanostructured CNTs matrixes by mechanical compression of a CNTs/GOx composite containing 1,4-naphtoquinone as redox mediator. This bioanode was then combined with MCOs (laccase and tyrosinase) based biocathodes. The GOx-NQ/Lac biofuel cell was able to deliver a maximum power density of 1.5 mW.cm-2. The use of this biofuel cell in short/long time discharge and in storage has also been studied. The second part presents the preparation of another bioanode based on the indirect wiring of a NAD+-dependant glucose dehydrogenase (GDH-NAD+) as an alternative for glucose oxidation. The GDH-NAD+ has been combined with an NADH oxidation catalyst by two different techniques. The first one involves the encapsulation of the protein in the metallopolymer redox film, whereas the second one relies on the supramolecular modification of the CNTs by the molecular catalyst and the enzyme. Both bioanodes showed good catalytic properties toward glucose oxidation in presence of NAD+ with respectively 1.04 mA cm-2 and 6 mA cm-2. The latter has been combined with a BOD based biocathode to form a biofuel cell exhibiting maximum power densities of 140 µW cm-2. The last part of this work focuses on the design of a bienzymatic biocathode for O2 reduction. The DET of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was first investigated and optimized by modification of the CNTs with pyrenes derivatives. The combination of the HRP with the GOx on the same electrode enables an efficient reduction of O2 in a 2-step process. The biocathode could exhibit maximum currents densities of 200 µA cm-2. This cathode along with the previous GDH bioanode formed a biofuel cell functional in physiological conditions and 10 mM NAD+ showing maximum power densities of 57 µW cm-2.

Miniaturized, self-sufficient bioelectronics powered by unconventional micropower may lead to a new generation of implantable, wireless, minimally invasive medical devices, such as pacemakers, defibrillators, drug-delivering pumps, sensor transmitters, and neurostimulators. Studies have shown that micro-enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs) are among the most intuitive candidates for in vivo micropower. In the fisrt part of this thesis, the prototype design of an EBFC chip, having 3D intedigitated microelectrode arrays was proposed to obtain an optimum design of 3D microelectrode arrays for carbon microelectromechanical systems (C-MEMS) based EBFCs. A detailed modeling solving partial differential equations (PDEs) by finite element techniques has been developed on the effect of 1) dimensions of microelectrodes, 2) spatial arrangement of 3D microelectrode arrays, 3) geometry of microelectrode on the EBFC performance based on COMSOL Multiphysics. In the second part of this thesis, in order to investigate the performance of an EBFC, behavior of an EBFC chip performance inside an artery has been studied. COMSOL Multiphysics software has also been applied to analyze mass transport for different orientations of an EBFC chip inside a blood artery. Two orientations: horizontal position (HP) and vertical position (VP) have been analyzed. The third part of this thesis has been focused on experimental work towards high performance EBFC. This work has integrated graphene/enzyme onto three-dimensional (3D) micropillar arrays in order to obtain efficient enzyme immobilization, enhanced enzyme loading and facilitate direct electron transfer. The developed 3D graphene/enzyme network based EBFC generated a maximum power density of 136.3 μWcm-2 at 0.59 V, which is almost 7 times of the maximum power density of the bare 3D carbon micropillar arrays based EBFC. To further improve the EBFC performance, reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been integrated onto 3D mciropillar arrays to further increase EBFC performance in the fourth part of this thesisThe developed rGO/CNTs based EBFC generated twice the maximum power density of rGO based EBFC. Through a comparison of experimental and theoretical results, the cell performance efficiency is noted to be 67%.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第20425号 / 農博第2210号 / 新制||農||1047(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H29||N5046(農学部図書室) / 京都大学大学院農学研究科応用生命科学専攻 / (主査)教授 加納 健司, 教授 宮川 恒, 教授 三芳 秀人 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

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O objetivo principal desta tese foi o de se desenvolver uma biocélula a combustível enzimática em microfluídica, utilizando a glicose como combustível e o oxigênio como oxidante. Foram utilizadas as enzimas Glicose Oxidase ou Glicose Desidrogenase em um bioânodo, de forma a promover reações bioeletrocatalíticas de oxidação da glicose e as enzimas Lacase ou Bilirrubina Oxidase, de forma a promover reações bioeletrocatalíticas de redução do oxigênio molecular. O trabalho se procedeu por tentativas de imobilizar estas enzimas, de forma a promover o mecanismo de transferência eletrônica direta com um eletrodo. Nas situações as quais isso não foi possível, foram utilizados mediadores eletrônicos, de forma a promover o mecanismo de transferência eletrônica mediada. O melhor par de sistemas de bioeletrodos e mediadores foi escolhido para serem aplicados em uma biocélula a combustível. O trabalho se procedeu em adaptar este par de bioeletrodos desenvolvidos para um sistema de microfluídica em papel, sendo ambos biocátodo e bioânodo em papel. Como as condições de concentração de combustível e de cofatores foram otimizadas para o bioânodo, foi necessário trabalhar com os biocátodos, de forma a apresentar as características de um biocátodo respirador, para melhor utilizar o oxigênio presente no ar e a apresentar um desempenho tão bom quanto o dos bioânodos. A biocélula a combustível em papel possibilitou a geração de energia elétrica por até 18 dias, utilizando uma resistência de 1.7 kΩ, nas condições experimentais ideais. De forma a provar o conceito da tecnologia para aplicações reais, a biocélula a combustível em papel foi demonstrada a ter a capacidade de geração de energia elétrica suficiente para fazer um relógio funcionar por pelo menos 36 horas, utilizando a bebida isotônica Gatorade®, como combustível. / The main objective of this thesis is to develop a microfluidic biofuel cell using glucose as the fuel and oxygen as the oxidant. The enzymes Glucose Oxidase or Glucose Dehydrogenase were used in a bioanode to promove the bioelectrocatalytic oxidation of glucose and the enzymes Laccase or Bilirubin Oxidase to promove the bioelectrocatalytic reduction of the molecular oxygen. The work was conducted by attempts to immobilize these enzymes in order to promote the mechanism of direct electron transfer with the electrode. For the situations where this was not observed, mediators were used in a way to promote the mechanism of mediated electron transfer. The best pair of bioelectrodes and mediatores was chosen to be applied in a biofuel cell. The work was carried out to adapt this par of developed bioelectrodes to a paper based microfluidic system, using both biocathode and bioanode in a paper-like design. As the conditions for concentration of fuel and cofactors were optimized for the bioanode, it was necessary to work on these biocathodes so as to have the characteristics of an air-breathing biocathode for a better use of the oxygen present in the air and to work with a performance as good as the bioanode. The paper based biofuel cell enabled the generation of electricity for up to 18 days using a resistance of 1.7 kΩ within the optimum experimental conditions. In order to prove the concept of this technology for real applications, the paper based biofuel cell was demonstrated to have the capacity for generation of enough electrical energy to power up a clock for at least 36 hours using the isotonic drink Gatored® as fuel.