Ionics in Functional Biomaterials

A special issue of Journal of Functional Biomaterials (ISSN 2079-4983).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 8352

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Science and Engineering, Department of Life Science, Setsunan University, 17-8 IkedaNakamachi, Neyagawa, Osaka 572-8508, Japan
Interests: biopolymer; bioionics; fuel cell; ionic conductivity; ionic reaction; ion generation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Issue is devoted to the ionic transport in biomaterials and their devices. This can relate to not only the electrical properties of biomaterials, but also the characteristics of bio-based electrical devices, or the experimental procedure of bio-ionic devices based on biomaterials.

Ionics in functional biomaterials falls under the broad heading of the engineering for ionic transports of tissue-derived biomaterials: proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, and so on. The goal is to explore the potential of new environmentally friendly devices using the ionic transport of biomaterials.

Ionics in functional biomaterials is a branch of bioenergy and biodevices. In particular, this is important for the field of energy devices such as batteries, fuel cells, and so on. Ionic transport in biomaterials leads to new electrolytes for batteries, and the enzyme reaction gives rise to new concepts for the ionic reaction of electrodes. In addition, ion generation leads to the fuel of hydrogen energy. In this way, ionics in functional biomaterials is responsible for all parts of energy devices such as batteries, fuel cells, and so on, and will contribute to the development of a hydrogen society.

Prof. Dr. Yasumitsu Matsuo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • biopolymers
  • biofuel cells
  • biosensors
  • bioelectrodes
  • bioelectrolytes
  • ionic conductivity in biomaterials
  • ion generation in biomaterials

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3231 KiB  
Communication
Fuel Cell Using Squid Axon Electrolyte and Its Proton Conductivity
by Tomoki Furuseki and Yasumitsu Matsuo
J. Funct. Biomater. 2020, 11(4), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb11040086 - 03 Dec 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1895
Abstract
Fuel cells using biomaterials have the potential for environmentally friendly clean energy and have attracted a lot of interest. Moreover, biomaterials are expected to develop into in vivo electrical devices such as pacemakers with no side effects. Ion channels, which are membrane proteins, [...] Read more.
Fuel cells using biomaterials have the potential for environmentally friendly clean energy and have attracted a lot of interest. Moreover, biomaterials are expected to develop into in vivo electrical devices such as pacemakers with no side effects. Ion channels, which are membrane proteins, are known to have a fast ion transport capacity. Therefore, by using ion channels, the realization of fuel cell electrolytes with high-proton conductivity can be expected. In this study, we have fabricated a fuel cell using an ion channel electrolyte for the first time and investigated the electrical properties of the ion channel electrolyte. It was found that the fuel cell using the ion channel membrane shows a power density of 0.78 W/cm2 in the humidified condition. On the other hand, the power density of the fuel cell blocking the ion channel with the channel blocker drastically decreased. These results indicate that the fuel cell using the ion channel electrolyte operates through the existence of the ion channel and that the ion channel membrane can be used as the electrolyte of the fuel cell in humidified conditions. Furthermore, the proton conductivity of the ion channel electrolyte drastically increases above 85% relative humidity (RH) and becomes 2 × 10−2 S/m at 96% RH. This result indicates that the ion channel becomes active above 96%RH. In addition, it was deduced from the impedance analysis that the high proton conductivity of the ion channel electrolyte above 96% RH is caused by the activation of ion channels, which are closely related to the fractionalization of water molecule clusters. From these results, it was found that a fuel cell using the squid axon becomes a new fuel cell using the function of the ion channel above 96% RH. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ionics in Functional Biomaterials)
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15 pages, 38488 KiB  
Article
Novel Biofuel Cell Using Hydrogen Generation of Photosynthesis
by Akinari Iwahashi, Takuya Yamada, Yasumitsu Matsuo and Hinako Kawakami
J. Funct. Biomater. 2020, 11(4), 81; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb11040081 - 11 Nov 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2862
Abstract
Energies based on biomaterials attract a lot of interest as next-generation energy because biomaterials are environmentally friendly materials and abundant in nature. Fuel cells are also known as the clean and important next-generation source of energy. In the present study, to develop the [...] Read more.
Energies based on biomaterials attract a lot of interest as next-generation energy because biomaterials are environmentally friendly materials and abundant in nature. Fuel cells are also known as the clean and important next-generation source of energy. In the present study, to develop the fuel cell based on biomaterials, a novel biofuel cell, which consists of collagen electrolyte and the hydrogen fuel generated from photochemical system II (PSII) in photosynthesis, has been fabricated, and its property has been investigated. It was found that the PSII solution, in which PSII was extracted from the thylakoid membrane using a surfactant, generates hydrogen by the irradiation of light. The typical hydrogen-generating rate is approximately 7.41 × 1014 molecules/s for the light intensity of 0.5 mW/cm2 for the PSII solution of 5 mL. The biofuel cell using the PSII solution as the fuel exhibited approximately 0.12 mW/cm2. This result indicates that the fuel cell using the collagen electrolyte and the hydrogen fuel generated from PSII solution becomes the new type of biofuel cell and will lead to the development of the next-generation energy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ionics in Functional Biomaterials)
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9 pages, 3171 KiB  
Article
Proton Conduction via Water Bridges Hydrated in the Collagen Film
by Hiroshi Matsui and Yasumitsu Matsuo
J. Funct. Biomater. 2020, 11(3), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb11030061 - 02 Sep 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3006
Abstract
Collagen films with proton conduction are a candidate of next generation of fuel-cell electrolyte. To clarify a relation between proton conductivity and formation of water networks in the collagen film originating from a tilapia’s scale, we systematically measured the ac conductivity, infrared absorption [...] Read more.
Collagen films with proton conduction are a candidate of next generation of fuel-cell electrolyte. To clarify a relation between proton conductivity and formation of water networks in the collagen film originating from a tilapia’s scale, we systematically measured the ac conductivity, infrared absorption spectrum, and weight change as a function of relative humidity (RH) at room temperature. The integrated absorbance concerning an O–H stretching mode of water molecules increases above 60% RH in accordance with the weight change. The dc conductivity varies in the vicinity of 60 and 83% RH. From those results, we have determined the dc conductivity vs. hydration number (N) per unit (Gly-X-Y). The proton conduction is negligible in the collagen molecule itself, but dominated by the hydration shell, the development of which is characterized with three regions. For 0 < N < 2, the conductivity is extremely small, because the water molecule in the primary hydration shell has a little hydrogen bonded with each other. For 2 < N < 4, a quasi-one-dimensional proton conduction occurs through intra-water bridges in the helix. For 4 < N, the water molecule fills the helix, and inter-water bridges are formed in between the adjacent helices, so that a proton-conducting network is extended three dimensional. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ionics in Functional Biomaterials)
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