Application of Graphene-Cobalt/Nickel Composite-Carbon Cloth Modified Electrode in Microbial Fuel Cell

A graphene-cobalt/nickel composite-carbon cloth (Gr-Co/Ni-CC) electrode through dip-coating method associated with hydrothermal process-air calcination method was prepared. The scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) techniques proved that the wrinkled graphene sheets and granular Co/Ni composite loaded on the carbon cloth (CC) surface successfully. The highest Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of the Gr-Co/Ni-CC was obtained (138.821m(2)/g), which was effectively higher compared with the CC electrode (1.404m(2)/g). Electrochemical measurements revealed that the Gr-Co/Ni composite significantly improved the electrochemical performance of the CC electrode. When Gr-Co/Ni-CC electrode was used as an anode in microbial fuel cell (MFC), compared with the control MFCs, the highest maximum power density (784.89mW/m(2)) and the lowest internal resistance (158.52 ) were obtained. Furthermore, the MFC with Gr-Co/Ni-CC anode electrode still possessed high treatment ability on organics-rich wastewater. The results declared that the Gr-Co/Ni-CC anode was an effective alternative to boost the MFC performance.