Application of aluminum-alloy mesh composite carbon cloth for the design of anode/cathode electrodes in Escherichia coli microbial fuel cell

High internal resistance issue in microbial fuel cell will decrease the power performance and need to overcome. In this study, same working surface area of carbon cloth (CC), aluminum-alloy mesh (ACM) and aluminum-alloy mesh composite carbon cloth (AAMCC) will be applied to act as electrodes for realizing their individual power performance. Results show that AAMCC could provide the largest adhering surface and the lowest equivalent resistance because of the appearance of electrical double-layer. The power density of 2966 mW/m(2) achieved by using AAMCC is higher than CC and ACM electrodes 132.4 and 1497 times, respectively. These evidences show that AAMC electrode can enhance electrical properties significantly and useful to improve the electrode of anode and the cathode in microbial fuel cell. Copyright (C) 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.