A glucose/oxygen enzymatic fuel cell based on redox polymer and enzyme immobilisation at highly-ordered macroporous gold electrodes

Highly ordered macroporous electrodes are prepared by electro-deposition of gold through a polystyrene sphere template. Drop-coating redox polymer and either glucose oxidase, for the anode, or Melanocarpus albomyces laccase, for the cathode on the macroporous gold provides film-coated electrodes for assembly of membrane-less glucose/oxygen enzymatic fuel cells (EFC) in pH 7.4 buffer containing 10 mM glucose and 0.15 M NaCl. Under these conditions the maximum power density of 17 mu Wcm(-2) for EFCs using films adsorbed to planar gold electrodes increased to 38 mu Wcm(-2) for films adsorbed to 21/2 sphere gold macroporous electrodes.