The project aims at developing novel biosensors based on nanostructured materials for self-powered biodevices assembly. Biofuel cells (BFCs) is an emerging technology because of their ability to directly generate electricity from biologically renewable catalysts and fuels. Due to the boost in nanotechnologies, significant advances have been accomplished in BFCs. Although it is still challenging to promote the performances of BFCs, the adoption of nanostructured materials for BFC construction represents an effective and promising strategy to achieve high energy production.
Among such nanomaterials, gold and silver nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes and graphene will be particularly studied. A careful characterization of the nanomaterial will be carried out by using several techniques such as scanning electrode microscope, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and UV-Vis spectroscopy.
The project envisaged the realization of enzymatic electrochemical biosensors for the sensitive detection of glucose, alcohol and fructose. These analytes will be detected with nanomodified second and third generation biosensors realized with the use of a redox mediator (MET) and with a direct electron transfer reaction between enzyme and electrode (DET), respectively.
The kinetic parameters of the corresponding biosensors will be carefully evaluated.
The results arising from the study of the biosensors will be useful to set up a technological platform for the future development of portable, cheap, fast, highly sensitive self-powered biosensors based on enzymatic biofuel cells for several application fields.
The final outcome of this project will be the design and development of self-powered biofuel cells by introducing new nanotechnology-based devices, thus reducing costs and increasing the competitiveness in terms of sensitivity, time of analysis and fields of applicability.
