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Recent advances in microbial fuel cell–based self-powered biosensors: a comprehensive exploration of sensing strategies in both anode and cathode modes

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Abstract

With the rapid development of society, it is of paramount importance to expeditiously assess environmental pollution and provide early warning of toxicity risks. Microbial fuel cell–based self-powered biosensors (MFC-SPBs) have emerged as a pivotal technology, obviating the necessity for external power sources and aligning with the prevailing trends toward miniaturization and simplification in biosensor development. In this case, vigorous advancements in MFC-SPBs have been acquired in past years, irrespective of whether the target identification event transpires at the anode or cathode. The present article undertakes a comprehensive review of developed MFC-SPBs, categorizing them into substrate effect and microbial activity effect based on the nature of the target identification event. Furthermore, various enhancement strategies to improve the analytical performance like accuracy and sensitivity are also outlined, along with a discussion of future research trends and application prospects of MFC-SPBs for their better developments.

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Funding

This study is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22174131, 5200161) and National Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province (232300421089).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Green Construction of Functional Molecules and Their Bioanalytical Applications, Zhengzhou Key Laboratory of Functional Nanomaterial and Medical Theranostic, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

    Junjun Xue, Yuxin Wang, Ying Xu & Rong-Bin Song

  2. School of Ecology and Environment, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

    Junjun Xue, Xiaoxuan Li, Suping Chen, Ying Xu & Rong-Bin Song

  3. Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Intelligent Water Treatment System, Qingshuiyuan Technology Co., Ltd., Jiyuan, China

    Yuanyuan Jing

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  1. Junjun Xue
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  2. Yuxin Wang
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  4. Xiaoxuan Li
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  5. Suping Chen
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  6. Ying Xu
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Contributions

Conceptualization, writing—original draft preparation: J.X. and Y.W. Project administration: Y.J. Resources, investigation: X.L. and S.C. Supervision, validation: R.S. Formal analysis, writing—review and editing: Y.X. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ying Xu or Rong-Bin Song.

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Published in the topical collection Emerging Trends in Electrochemical Analysis with guest editors Sabine Szunerits, Wei Wang, and Adam T. Woolley.

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Xue, J., Wang, Y., Jing, Y. et al. Recent advances in microbial fuel cell–based self-powered biosensors: a comprehensive exploration of sensing strategies in both anode and cathode modes. Anal Bioanal Chem (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-024-05230-y

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