Biosensors Based on Microbial Fuel Cells

A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosensor Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (22 November 2023) | Viewed by 3456

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Mechatronics, Robotics, and Digital Manufacturing, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, J. Basanaviciaus Str. 28, LT-03224 Vilnius, Lithuania
2. Laboratory of Electrochemical Energy Conversion, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Sauletekio Av. 3, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
Interests: biosensor; biofuel cell design; scanning electrochemical microscopy
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Co-Guest Editor
Department of Mechatronics, Robotics, and Digital Manufacturing, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, LT-03224 Vilnius, Lithuania
Interests: biosensor; biofuel cell

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bioelectrochemical device, which generates electrical energy from organic materials using microorganisms. Recently, MFCs have attracted increased interest as an alternative source of energy, as wastewater treatment devices, and as self-powered biosensors for the detection of toxic materials. Microorganisms in MFCs can reproduce themselves, are cheap, and can operate at ambient temperatures in the natural environment. The main reason they are not applied widely in industry is the low power generated due to the low charge transfer rate. Extracellular electron transport from microorganisms to the anode can be improved using more effective redox mediators, modifying microorganisms via conductive polymers and/or nanomaterials. Some prospective results in increasing the effectiveness of MFCs have been obtained by increasing the area/volume of anodes. Therefore, in this Special Issue, we invite research on improving the effectiveness of MFCs via modification of anodes, new anode, cathode, and membrane materials, new bacteria, and new types of biosensors based on MFCs. Potential topics include but are not limited to:

  • Modification of anodes via conductive polymers and nanomaterials;
  • Application of MFCs for biosensing and energy generation purposes;
  • Biosensors based on MFCs;
  • Self-powered and wearable biosensors;
  • Modification of microorganisms via conductive polymers for better MFC performance.

Dr. Inga Morkvenaite-Vilkonciene
Dr. Juste Rozene
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • microbial fuel cell
  • anode
  • cathode
  • conductive polymer
  • nanomaterials
  • biosensor
  • self-powered device

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

16 pages, 1924 KiB  
Review
Microbial Biofuel Cells: Fundamental Principles, Development and Recent Obstacles
by Kasparas Kižys, Antanas Zinovičius, Baltramiejus Jakštys, Ingrida Bružaitė, Evaldas Balčiūnas, Milda Petrulevičienė, Arūnas Ramanavičius and Inga Morkvėnaitė-Vilkončienė
Biosensors 2023, 13(2), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios13020221 - 3 Feb 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2989
Abstract
This review focuses on the development of microbial biofuel cells to demonstrate how similar principles apply to the development of bioelectronic devices. The low specificity of microorganism-based amperometric biosensors can be exploited in designing microbial biofuel cells, enabling them to consume a broader [...] Read more.
This review focuses on the development of microbial biofuel cells to demonstrate how similar principles apply to the development of bioelectronic devices. The low specificity of microorganism-based amperometric biosensors can be exploited in designing microbial biofuel cells, enabling them to consume a broader range of chemical fuels. Charge transfer efficiency is among the most challenging and critical issues while developing biofuel cells. Nanomaterials and particular redox mediators are exploited to facilitate charge transfer between biomaterials and biofuel cell electrodes. The application of conductive polymers (CPs) can improve the efficiency of biofuel cells while CPs are well-suitable for the immobilization of enzymes, and in some specific circumstances, CPs can facilitate charge transfer. Moreover, biocompatibility is an important issue during the development of implantable biofuel cells. Therefore, biocompatibility-related aspects of conducting polymers with microorganisms are discussed in this review. Ways to modify cell-wall/membrane and to improve charge transfer efficiency and suitability for biofuel cell design are outlined. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biosensors Based on Microbial Fuel Cells)
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