Abstract: A biofuel cell is formed by disposing an anode (negative electrode) to be a fuel electrode, an anode current collector, a separator, a cathode current collector, a cathode (positive electrode) to be an air electrode and a gas-liquid separation membrane in this order between a fuel tank and a positive electrode cover. During the formation, an electrode formed of a carbon fiber fabric having a network structure constituted by a monofilament strand of a carbon fiber and has a redox enzyme on the surface is used in at least the anode.

Abstract: The valve control unit of a fuel leakage preventing structure of the present invention includes first and second electrodes. The first electrode is attached to a first member that is movable. When a pressing force is applied to the first member to move, the first and second electrodes are brought into contact with each other, to cause conduction. The first and second electrodes are connected to a control device, and the control device opens a control valve when the first and second electrodes are put into a conducting state. As the control valve is opened and closed by a pressing force in this manner, a fuel solution can be easily supplied.

Abstract: There is provided a carbon dioxide immobilization unit capable of easily immobilizing carbon dioxide in the form of an organic acid or a carbohydrate under a normal environment. An anode and a cathode both having a surface where an oxidoreductase is present are disposed to face each other with a proton conductor in between. Then, when electric power is externally supplied to the carbon dioxide immobilization unit, in the anode, water is decomposed to produce protons, and in the cathode, an organic acid or a carbohydrate is produced from the protons produced in the anode and carbon dioxide. At this time, while a carbon dioxide supply section supplies a high concentration of carbon dioxide to the cathode, oxygen produced in the anode and the organic acid or hydrocarbon produced in the cathode are removed from a reaction system through an oxygen removal section and a product recovery section, respectively.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of producing a recombinant bilirubin oxidase, including a step wherein a bilirubin oxidase gene derived from imperfect filamentous fungus Myrothecium verrucaria is introduced to Escherichia coli and expression thereof is allowed. Also disclosed is a recombinant bilirubin oxidase obtained by this production method. This recombinant bilirubin oxidase has an enzymatic activity higher than that of a natural bilirubin oxidase derived from the imperfect filamentous fungus Myrothecium verrucaria.

Abstract: A separator formed of a material, which does not transmit liquid, is provided between a cell unit including an electrode on a surface of which an oxidoreductase is present and a fuel storage unit provided adjacent to the cell unit. It is configured such that power generation is started by supply of fuel solution stored in the fuel storage unit to the cell unit by removal of at least a part of the separator.

Abstract: A fuel cell is provided. The fuel cell includes at least one of a plant essential oil and a plant essential oil ingredient in an effective amount so as to function as a biological repellent.

Abstract: Provided is a thin three-dimensional interactive display which enables multi-touch sensing and three-dimensional gesture recognition. The three-dimensional interactive display includes a light source for irradiating an object to be detected with a light, a light modulation layer, into which a scattered light generated by irradiating the object with the light from the light source enters, at least for modulating an intensity of the scattered light, a transparent light-receiving layer for receiving the light transmitted through the light modulation layer, and a display panel or a back light panel disposed on the opposite side of the transparent light-receiving layer from the light modulation layer. The transparent light-receiving layer has a two-dimensional array of light-receiving elements.

Abstract: There are provided a novel protein which has extremely high stability with respect to light irradiation, and is capable of maintaining a photoelectric conversion function for a long time, and a protein photoelectric transducer which uses the protein, and is capable of being stably used for a long time. A tin-substituted horse-heart cytochrome c is obtained by substituting tin for iron as a central metal of a heme of a horse-heart cytochrome c. A tin-substituted bovine-heart cytochrome c is obtained by substituting tin for iron as a central metal of a heme of a bovine-heart cytochrome c. A protein made of the tin-substituted horse-heart cytochrome c or the tin-substituted bovine-heart cytochrome c is immobilized on an electrode to form a protein-immobilized electrode. A protein photoelectric transducer is formed with use of the protein-immobilized electrode.

Abstract: Provided is a photoelectric conversion element including a photoconductor containing a complex of a conductive polymer and/or polymer semiconductor and a protein containing at least one dye having a long-lived excited state.

Abstract: A protein photoelectric conversion device including a gold electrode; and a substance selected from the group consisting of a metal-substituted cytochrome b562, a zinc chlorin cytochrome b562, a derivative thereof, and a variant thereof immobilized on the gold electrode.

Abstract: A non-wetted all solid protein photoelectric conversion device that is able to be operated without existence of a liquid such as water inside and outside of the device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The non-wetted all solid protein photoelectric conversion device has a structure in which a solid protein layer composed of an electron transfer protein is sandwiched between an electrode and an electrode. The solid protein layer is immobilized onto the electrodes and. The solid protein layer does not contain a liquid such as water. The solid protein layer is composed of a monomolecular film or a multimolecular film of the electron transfer protein.

Abstract: A multilayer transparent light-receiving device with significantly high photoresponsive speed that is easily manufactured, and a high-performance electronic device using the multilayer transparent light-receiving device are provided. The multilayer transparent light-receiving device is composed by laminating a plurality of protein transparent light-receiving elements using an electron transfer protein. The protein transparent light-receiving element has a structure in which a transparent substrate, a transparent electrode, an electron transfer protein layer, an electrolyte layer, and a transparent counter electrode are sequentially laminated. The multilayer transparent light-receiving device is used as a light-receiving device for a camera, an optical disc system and the like.

Abstract: A molecular device includes a gold electrode, cytochrome c552 or a derivative or variant thereof immobilized on the gold electrode, and an electron transfer protein coupled to the cytochrome c552 or the derivative or variant thereof. Electrons or holes, or both, are transferred through the electron transfer protein by transition of electrons between molecular orbitals of the electron transfer protein.

Abstract: In one example embodiment, a protein-immobilized electrode is stably used for long time. In one example embodiment, a method of manufacturing the protein-immobilized electrode includes immobilizing cytochrome c552 having high stability to a chemically-stable gold electrode while maintaining electron transfer capability of the cytochrome c552. In one example embodiment, a self-assembled monolayer is formed on a gold electrode by using hydrophobic thiol and hydrophilic thiol. By dipping the gold electrode on which the self-assembled monolayer is formed in a cytochrome c552 solution, a protein-immobilized electrode in which a cytochrome c552 is immobilized to the gold electrode with the self-assembled monolayer in between is produced.

Abstract: A color imaging element, a photosensor and a photoelectric transducer which use a protein and are capable of being stably used for a long time, and methods of manufacturing them are provided. A zinc-substituted cytochrome c552 is immobilized on a gold electrode with a self-assembled monolayer in between to form a blue-light photoelectric transducer. Alternatively, a cytochrome c552 is immobilized on a gold electrode with a self-assembled monolayer in between, and a fluorescent protein absorbing blue light is bonded to the cytochrome c552, thereby forming a blue-light photoelectric transducer. These photoelectric transducers each are used as a color imaging element or a blue-light photoelectric transducer of a photosensor.

Abstract: A heat-resistant bilirubin oxidase mutant is disclosed. The bilirubin oxidase mutant is obtained by deletion, replacement, addition or insertion of at least one amino acid residue of a wild type amino sequence of SEQ. ID. No. 1 of a bilirubin oxidase derived from an imperfect filamentous fungus, Myrothecium verrucaria. A biocathode including a thermo stable bilirubin oxidase mutant immobilized thereon, and its use in a biofuel cell is disclosed.

Abstract: An electrolytic method of a fuel capable of suppressing reverse reaction of an enzyme and improving electrolytic rate is provided. In electrolyzing a fuel such as glucose by using an enzyme/electron mediator obtained by immobilizing an enzyme such as gluconate-5-dehydrogenase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and malate dehydrogenase and an electron mediator onto a porous electrode made of a carbon material, electrode reaction is generated only in the enzyme/electron mediator electrode.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a biofuel cell including a polymer gel reversibly swelling and contracting in response to variations in a property of a fuel solution making contact therewith, the polymer gel being on a surface of an electrode and/or in the inside of the electrode.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a mutant gluconate dehydrogenase whose enzyme activity and/or heat resistance is a predetermined level or higher. The mutant gluconate dehydrogenase is made by an amino acid sequence obtained by deleting, substituting, adding or inserting one or plural amino acids in an amino acid sequence represented by sequence number 1. The mutant gluconate dehydrogenase displays enzyme activity which is equal to or higher than 120% of a wild-type gluconate dehydrogenase made by an amino acid sequence represented by sequence number 1, and/or displays residual enzyme activity after heat treatment under predetermined conditions, which is equal to or higher than 20% of the enzyme activity before the heat treatment.

Abstract: Provided are an enzyme immobilizing method, a fuel cell and an electrode for the fuel cell which employ the enzyme immobilizing method, and a method for manufacturing the fuel cell and the electrode. The enzyme immobilizing method prevents reduction in enzyme activity when the enzyme is immobilized on the electrode, so as to make it possible to obtain a high catalyst current value. In the method for immobilizing an enzyme on the electrode used in the fuel cell, an enzyme variant with at least one amino acid residue being deleted, substituted, added, or inserted in a wild-type amino acid sequences is used as the enzyme, and the enzyme variant increases in activity through heat treatment. The immobilization is performed within a temperature range which makes it possible to increase the activity of the enzyme variant.