Biofuel cells are a type of fuel cells that uses catalysts to convert chemical energy to electric energy. Biochemical reactions that already occur naturally in our body, such as glucose digestion for energy, require an enzyme to breakdown chemicals in the natural process. They also provide a blueprint and inspiration to apply these reactions in fuel cell designs which unlocks the ability to use different biochemical fuels for energy generation and devices. However, the natural enzymes are fragile and vulnerable to harsh environment. The development of nanozymes (nanoparticles mimicking catalytic function of enzymes) provides an opportunity to address the challenges in limited performance, efficiency, and stability.
This project focuses on the design and synthesis of carbon-based nanozyme which can replace the enzyme’s role in driving biochemical reactions, with research aims on improved performance and efficiency of biofuel cells. Students will have the opportunity to investigate several selected biochemical reactions and apply material design strategies to design different nanomaterial structure solutions.
The outcomes of this research will contribute to the development of catalytic materials for alternate energy sources and potential biomedical devices.
School
Chemical Engineering
Research Area
Nanoparticle synthesis | Catalysis | Biomimetic nanotechnology | New energy
Suitable for recognition of Work Integrated Learning (industrial training)?
Yes
- Research environment
- Expected outcomes
- Supervisory team
- Reference material/links
This is an interdisciplinary project which will be carried out the NanoBiotechnology Research Group and ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation. It will involve materials synthesis and characterisation, catalytic evaluation, and practical demonstration in device applications located at SEB in UNSW.
The student is expected to gain experience in catalysis, material synthesis, characterization techniques, and possibly biofuel cell assembly. The generated knowledge and data will likely result in a high-impact publication. The project will also allow the student to work with other research students to gain valuable interdisciplinary experience across biology and chemical engineering research fields.
P. Gai, et al. "Unveiling the Glucose Oxidase-Like and Catalase-Like Activities of Highly Conjugated 3,4,9,10-Perylenetetracarboxylic Dianhydride for Boosting Biofuel Cells" Advanced Materials 2024, 34 (2400617) https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/adfm.202400617
D. Wen, et al. "Engineering carbon nanomaterials toward high-efficiency bioelectrocatalysis for enzymatic biofuel cells: a review" Materials Chemistry Frontiers 2023, 7, 5806-5825 https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/qm/d3qm00615h