Vitamin-Mediated Glucose Flow Cell for Sustainable Power Generation

Abstract

Glucose as a biofuel offers unique advantages, including low-temperature electricity generation, easy accessibility, low storage cost, and adaptability for on-demand power generation. Riboflavin, commonly known as Vitamin B₂, is a critical component in biological systems, participating in many metabolic reactions as an enzyme cofactor. Drawing inspiration from these metabolic processes, we demonstrate a flow cell for the electrochemical glucose oxidation reaction (GOR), using riboflavin as an environmentally friendly mediator to replace traditional noble metal catalysts. When pairing with an O₂ electrode under alkaline conditions, the glucose flow cell achieves a peak power density of 13 mW/cm², 20 times greater than the previously reported value under similar conditions. The demonstrated vitamin-mediated biofuel flow cell introduces a new catalytic design approach for a glucose-based biofuel cell, delivering high peak power density at room temperature and ambient pressure. This approach ensures low cost and environmental sustainability, eliminating the need for noble metal catalysts.