Carbon nano-objects to facilitate the construction of futuristic energy sources
Scientists at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences in Warsaw (IPC PAS for its acronym in English ) are working on electrodes having surfaces coated with layers of carbon nanoparticles and enzymes. These electrodes can be used to produce modern sensors and energy sources, including some as futuristic as biological fuel cells installed inside the human body and powered by substances in the blood.
At present, the substitution of energy sources in devices such as pacemakers requires invasive methods. Scientists worldwide have conducted research to create a cell powered by a substance dissolved in the blood : for example , glucose and an oxidizer -oxygen, which is also in the blood is difficult because you must find a suitable support to enable continuous deposition of enzyme so that electrons are exchanged directly with the electrode.
This was finally achieved in the CPI PAS due to carbon nanoparticles deposit on the electrode. “The result is surprising because the enzyme normally requires additional compounds , electron transport dissolved in the solution. There is simply no such compounds in our experiments, “says Katarzyna Szot , a doctoral student in SAP IPC . It is particularly important that the electrodes being reviewed work on solutions that have similar components such as blood plasma .
