title: Biofuel cell backpacked insect and its application to wireless sensing.
abstract: This study investigated an enzymatic biofuel cell (BFC) which can be backpacked by cockroaches. The BFC generates electric power from trehalose in insect hemolymph by the trehalase and glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) reaction systems which dehydrogenate β-glucose obtained by hydrolyzing trehalose. First, an insect-mountable BFC (imBFC) was designed and fabricated with a 3D printer. The electrochemical reaction of anode-modified poly-L-lysine, vitamin K3, diaphorase, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, GDH and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) in the imBFC was evaluated and an oxidation current of 1.18 mAcm(-2) (at +0.6 V vs. Ag|AgCl) was observed. Then, the performance of the imBFC was evaluated and a maximum power output of 333 μW (285 μW cm(-)(2)) (at 0.5 V) was obtained. Furthermore, driving of both an LED device and a wireless temperature and humidity sensor device were powered by the imBFC. These results indicate that the imBFC has sufficient potential as a battery for novel ubiquitous robots such as insect cyborgs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. Electronic address: shoji@live.mech.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shoji
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshitake
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Nakacho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Nakacho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuhumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Nakacho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; The Center for Advanced Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, Japan. Electronic address: morishima@mech.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morishima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D003058:Cockroaches / Q000737:chemistry; D004566:Electrodes; D005947:Glucose / Q000737:chemistry; D042843:Glucose 1-Dehydrogenase / Q000737:chemistry*; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000737:chemistry; D006813:Humidity; D008239:Lysine / Q000737:chemistry; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013696:Temperature; D014198:Trehalase / Q000737:chemistry; D014199:Trehalose / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D014199:Trehalose; D042843:Glucose 1-Dehydrogenase; D014198:Trehalase; D005947:Glucose; D008239:Lysine
keywords: Glucose dehydrogenase; Insect hemolymph; Living battery; Trehalase; Trehalose biofuel cell; Wireless communication