Noble metal and enzymatic catalysts for plating and biofuel cell

• Main Author: Tan, Desmond Chun Long
• Other Authors: Hirotaka Sato
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science::Chemistry::Physical chemistry::Catalysis; DRNTU::Science::Chemistry::Physical chemistry::Electrochemistry
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/75251
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This project reports a facile and highly active Pd-P electrocatalyst that is capable of substituting the conventional Pd-Sn electrocatalyst employed in the current electroless nickel deposition process. For hypophosphite oxidation in nickel bath solution, the resulting Pd-P nanoparticles exhibited comparable specific activity and higher mass activity, compared to conventional Pd-Sn electrocatalyst. The project also presents a novel centrifugation compression method developed and demonstrated to be effective in the immobilization of enzyme and redox mediator within the carbon matrix for glucose oxidation and oxygen reduction reaction. The enhancement between interactions of enzyme, redox mediator and carbon matrix was proved through the increased in catalytic activity of the bioelectrodes. The centrifuge compression method was further modified to create stacked immobilization structure for enzyme. Direct electron transfer was established with the multiple-stacking for carbon material and enzyme. The catalytic activity of the stacking biocathodes exhibited higher catalytic activity than the mixing biocathode. The fabricated bioelectrodes were able to display substantial power density in environment similar to physiological condition; low glucose content, low oxygen content and close to neutral pH condition and also when implanted in grape. This signifies the potential of these bioelectrodes to function in other in vivo system.