Journal
ELECTROCHEMISTRY COMMUNICATIONS
Volume 11, Issue 11, Pages 2177-2179Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.elecom.2009.09.024
Keywords
Microbial fuel cell; Activated carbon; Metal mesh; Cathode
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Funding
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) [KUS-11-003-13]
- Milieu en Energietechnologie InnovatiePlatform [M8463]
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An inexpensive activated carbon (AC) air cathode was developed as an alternative to a platinum-catalyzed electrode for oxygen reduction in a microbial fuel cell (MFC). AC was cold-pressed with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binder to form the cathode around a Ni mesh current collector. This cathode construction avoided the need for carbon cloth or a metal catalyst, and produced a cathode with high activity for oxygen reduction at typical MFC current densities. Tests with the AC cathode produced a maximum power density of 1220 mW/m(2) (normalized to cathode projected surface area; 36 W/m(3) based on liquid volume) compared to 1060 mW/m(2) obtained by Pt catalyzed carbon cloth cathode. The Coulombic efficiency ranged from 15% to 55%. These findings show that AC is a cost-effective material for achieving useful rates of oxygen reduction in air cathode MFCs. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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