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Application of gas diffusion electrodes in bioelectrochemical syntheses and energy conversion
Author(s) -
Horst Angelika E.W.,
Mangold KlausMichael,
Holtmann Dirk
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.25698
Subject(s) - electrode , biosensor , electrochemistry , electrolysis , bulk electrolysis , bioelectrochemistry , nanotechnology , redox , chemical engineering , chemistry , microbial fuel cell , materials science , inorganic chemistry , electrolyte , cyclic voltammetry , anode , engineering
Combining the advantages of biological components (e.g., reaction specificity, self‐replication) and electrochemical techniques in bioelectrochemical systems offers the opportunity to develop novel efficient and sustainable processes for the production of a number of valuable products. The choice of electrode material has a great impact on the performance of bioelectrochemical systems. In addition to the redox process at the electrodes, interactions of biocatalysts with electrodes (e.g., enzyme denaturation or biofouling) need to be considered. In recent years, gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) have proved to be very attractive electrodes for bioelectrochemical purposes. GDEs are porous electrodes, that posses a large three‐phase boundary surface. At this interface, a solid catalyst supports the electrochemical reaction between gaseous and liquid phase. This mini‐review discusses the application of GDEs in microbial and enzymatic fuel cells, for microbial electrolysis, in biosensors and for electroenzymatic synthesis reactions. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 260–267. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.