Enhanced Reduced Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide electrocatalysis onto multi-walled carbon nanotubes-decorated gold nanoparticles and their use in hybrid biofuel cell

We report the preparation of Au nanoparticles synthetized by different protocols and supported on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes containing different functional groups, focusing on their electrochemical performance towards NADH oxidation, ethanol bioelectrocatalysis, and ethanol/O2 biofuel cell. We describe four different synthesis protocols: microwave-assisted heating, water-in-oil, and dendrimer-encapsulated nanoparticles using acid or thiol species in the extraction step. The physical characterization of the metallic nanoparticles indicated that both the synthetic protocol as well as the type of functional groups on the carbon nanotubes affect the final particle size (varying from 13.4 to 2.4 nm) and their distribution onto the carbon surface. Moreover, the electrochemical data indicated that these two factors also influence their performance toward the electrooxidation of NADH. We observed that the samples containing Au nanoparticles with smaller size leads to higher catalytic currents and also shifts the oxidation potential of the targeted reaction, which varied from 0.13 to −0.06 V vs Ag/AgCl. Ethanol/O2 biofuel cell tests indicated that the hybrid bioelectrodes containing smaller and better distributed Au nanoparticles on the surface of carbon nanotubes generates higher power output, confirming that the electrochemical regeneration of NAD+ plays an important role in the overall biofuel cell performance.