A high power density miniaturized microbial fuel cell having carbon nanotube anodes

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a promising technology capable of directly converting the abundant biomass on the planet into electricity. Prior studies have adopted a variety of nanostructured materials with high surface area to volume ratio (SAV), yet the current and power density of these nanostr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of power sources 2015, Vol.273, p.823-830
Main Authors: HAO REN, SOONJAE PYO, LEE, Jae-Ik, PARK, Tae-Jin, GITTLESON, Forrest S, LEUNG, Frederick C. C, JONGBAEG KIM, TAYLOR, André D, LEE, Hyung-Sool, JUNSEOK CHAE
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alignment
Applied sciences
Biochemical fuel cells
Biofilms
Density
Direct energy conversion and energy accumulation
Electric power generation
Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering
Electrical power engineering
Electrochemical conversion: primary and secondary batteries, fuel cells
Electrodes
Energy
Energy. Thermal use of fuels
Equipments for energy generation and conversion: thermal, electrical, mechanical energy, etc
Exact sciences and technology
Fuel cells
Geobacter
Gold
Materials
Microorganisms
Nanostructured materials
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Summary:Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a promising technology capable of directly converting the abundant biomass on the planet into electricity. Prior studies have adopted a variety of nanostructured materials with high surface area to volume ratio (SAV), yet the current and power density of these nanostructured materials do not deliver a significant leap over conventional MFCs. This study presents a novel approach to implement a miniaturized MFC with a high SAV of 4000 m super(-1) using three different CNT-based electrode materials: Vertically Aligned CNT (VACNT), Randomly Aligned CNT (RACNT), and Spin-Spray Layer-by-Layer (SSLbL) CNT. These CNT-based electrodes showunique biofilm morphology and thickness. The study of performance parameters of miniaturized MFCs with these CNT-electrodes are conducted with respect to a control bare gold electrode. The results show that CNT-based materials attract more exoelectrogens, Geobacter sp., than bare gold, yielding thicker biofilm formation. Among CNT-based electrodes, lowsheet resistance electrodes result in thick biofilm generation and high current/power density. The miniaturized MFC having an SSLbL CNT anode exhibits a high volumetric power density of 3320W m super(-3). This research may help lay the foundation for future research involving the optimization of MFCS with 2D and 3D nanostructured electrodes.
ISSN:0378-7753
1873-2755
DOI:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2014.09.165