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Graphene-based electrode materials for microbial fuel cells

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Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are environmentally friendly technology capable of converting chemical energy stored in waste-waters directly into electrical energy by using microorganisms as biocatalysts. However, the overall low power density of the MFC and the high cost of its components are two major barriers for its commercialization. Among all the factors, the electrodes (cathode and anode) materials play the significant role in affecting the performance of MFCs. Recently, the performance of MFCs has been improved by using graphene-based electrodes that are more conductive and mechanically stable with larger surface area and higher electrocatalytic activity compared to the conventional carbon materials. This paper provides an overview of recent research progress in graphene-based materials as electrodes for MFCs, which will be the promising candidates for developing MFCs and other bioelectrochemical systems to achieve sustainable water/wastewater treatment and bioenergy production.

中文摘要

微生物燃料电池是一种采用微生物作为生物催化剂, 直接将储藏在废水中的化学能转化为电能的环境友好技术. 目前, 微生物燃料电池的商业发展仍受制于功率密度低、构成部件成本高这两个缺陷. 在制约微生物燃料电池商业化的因素中, 电极(包括阴极和阳极)材料具有举足轻重的地位. 相对于传统材料, 基于石墨烯的电极材料具有优异的导电性能、稳定的机械性能、较大的比表面积以及高的电催化活性, 它的使用大大提高了微生物燃料电池的性能. 本文主要综述了近期基于石墨烯基电极材料微生物燃料电池的研究进展, 基于石墨烯的电极材料有望用于可持续性的废水处理及生物能利用技术, 并在未来微生物燃料电池以及其他生物电化学系统中广泛应用.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang, 330063, China

    Suqin Ci, Pingwei Cai & Zhenhai Wen

  2. Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, 350002, China

    Zhenhai Wen

  3. Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 10086, China

    Jinghong Li

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  1. Suqin Ci
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Correspondence to Zhenhai Wen or Jinghong Li.

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Suqin Ci worked at Nanchang Hangkong University in China after receiving her PhD degree from the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. From 2010 to 2012, she was a visiting scholar in civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she worked on novel nanomaterials for microbial fuel cells. Before returning Nanchang Hangkong University in August 2014, she completed her postdoctoral training at the mechanical engineering of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her current research focuses on microbial fuel cell, biosensor and the electrocatalysis.

Zhenhai Wen is currently a professor at the Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. He received his MSc degree from Beijing University of Technology in 2004 and PhD degree from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2008. He then worked as a lecture in Nanchang Hangkong University. In 2009, he worked in Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany as Humboldt postdoctoral research scholar. From 2010 to 2014, he conducted postdoctoral research in University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His research interests focus on designing and synthesizing functional nanostructures and exploring their applications in fuel cell, lithium ion batteries, supercapacitors, electrocatalysts, photocatalysts, as well as dye-sensitized solar cell.

Jinghong Li is currently a Cheung Kong Professor at the Department of Chemistry at Tsinghua University, China. He received his BSc degree from University of Science and Technology of China in 1991, and PhD degree from Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1996. He spent several years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of California at Santa Barbara, Clemson University, and Evonyx Inc., New York. He returned to Changchun in May 2001 and then joined the faculty of Tsinghua University in July 2004. His current research interests include electroanalytical chemistry, bio-electrochemistry and sensors, physical electrochemistry and interfacial electrochemistry, electrochemical materials science and nanoscopic electrochemistry, fundamental aspects of energy conversion and storage, advanced battery materials, and photoelectrochemistry. He has published over 290 papers in international, peer-reviewed journals with >17,000 citations and h-index of 70.

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Ci, S., Cai, P., Wen, Z. et al. Graphene-based electrode materials for microbial fuel cells. Sci. China Mater. 58, 496–509 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-015-0061-2

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