FUEL CELL, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, MOVABLE BODY, POWER GENERATION SYSTEM, AND COGENERATION SYSTEM

• US 20110171542A1
• Filed: 03/28/2011
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tokita, Yuichi, Sato, Atsushi, Tomita, Takashi, Sakai, Hideki
• Application Number:
  US13/073,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20110171542A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/401
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/8846 Impregnation
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/9008 Organic or organo-metallic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/9083 on carbon or graphite
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/16 Biochemical fuel cells, i.e. cells in which microorganisms function as catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A fuel cell which can directly extract electric power from a polysaccharide, such as starch, is provided. A fuel electrode is formed by immobilizing with an immobilizer, on an electrode comprised of, e.g., carbon, an enzyme responsible for decomposing a polysaccharide into monosaccharides, an enzyme responsible for decomposing the monosaccharide formed, a coenzyme (e.g., NAD⁻ or NADP⁺) which forms a reductant due to the oxidation reaction in the monosaccharide decomposition process, a coenzyme oxidase (e.g., diaphorase) for oxidizing the reductant of the coenzyme (e.g., NADH or NADPH), and an electron mediator (e.g., ACNQ or vitamin K3) for receiving electrons generated due to the oxidation of the coenzyme from the coenzyme oxidase and delivering the electrons to the electrode. The fuel cell comprises the fuel electrode and the air electrode that sandwich an electrolyte layer.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a fuel cell for generating electric power by decomposing a fuel using an enzyme, wherein the fuel is a gelatinized starch.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enzyme comprises a decomposing enzyme for promoting decomposition of the gelatinized starch to form a monosaccharide, and an oxidase for promoting oxidation of the monosaccharide formed to decompose the monosaccharide.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the enzyme comprises a coenzyme oxidase for changing a coenzyme reduced due to the oxidation of the monosaccharide to an oxidant and giving electrons to a negative electrode through an electron mediator.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the oxidant of the coenzyme is NAD⁺ and the coenzyme oxidase is diaphorase.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in that the coenzyme oxidase, the coenzyme, and the electron mediator are immobilized on the negative electrode.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the oxidase is immobilized on the negative electrode.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the oxidase and the decomposing enzyme are immobilized on the negative electrode.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the gelatinized starch is immobilized on the negative electrode.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the immobilization uses an immobilizer comprising glutaraldehyde and poly-L-lysine.

10. An electronic device comprising a fuel cell, wherein the fuel cell generates electric power by decomposing a fuel using an enzyme, wherein the fuel is a gelatinized starch.

11. A movable body comprising a fuel cell, wherein the fuel cell generates electric power by decomposing a fuel using an enzyme, wherein the fuel is a gelatinized starch.

12. A power generation system comprising a fuel cell, wherein the fuel the cell generates electric power by decomposing a fuel using an enzyme, wherein the fuel is a gelatinized starch.

13. A cogeneration system comprising a fuel cell, wherein the fuel cell generates electric power by decomposing a fuel using an enzyme, wherein the fuel is a gelatinized starch.