Département de chimie moléculaire

The invention relates to a biofuel cell intended to be immersed in a liq. medium contg. a sugar and oxygen, wherein the anode comprises an enzyme capable of catalyzing the oxidn. of sugar and a redox mediator and the cathode comprises an enzyme capable to catalyze the redn. of oxygen and a redox mediator. Each of the electrodes of the anode and of the cathode consists of a solid cluster of a conductive material mixed with the enzyme and appropriate redox mediator, is attached to an electrode wire and is surrounded by a semipermeable membrane allowing the passage of oxygen and glucose, but not allowing the passage of the enzyme and the redox mediator. The set of two electrodes is also surrounded by a semipermeable membrane. At the cathode, the enzyme is selected from polyphenol oxidase (PPO), laccase or bilirubin oxidase, and the redox mediator is selected from quinone, 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS), osmocene, ruthenocene, cobalt II tetraphenylporphyrin or zinc phthalocyanine. At the anode, the enzyme is selected from glucose oxidase, lactose oxidase, galactose oxidase or fructose oxidase, depending on the sugar to be converted, and the redox mediator is ubiquinone, ferrocene, cobaltocene, N-methylphenothiazine or 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonic acid hydrate (HQS). The conductive material is graphite or a conductive polymer. Glucose biofuel cells of this type were implanted in the left lateral position in the peritoneal cavities of two rats, and after stabilization of the open circuit potential, charge and discharge cycles were conducted for a period of 12 h during which discharge currents of 10 to 50 $μ$A were identified. [on SciFinder(R)]