Recent Advances on the Development of Functional Materials in Microbial Fuel Cells:From Fundamentals to Challenges and Outlooks

Microbial fuel cells(MFCs),as a sustainable and promising technology to solve both environmental pollution and energy shortage,have captured tremendous attention.The conversion efficiency of chemical energy contained in organic waste or wastewater to electricity via microbial metabolism strongly depends on the performance of each functional unit,including the anode,cathode and separator/membrane used in MFCs.Therefore,significant attention has been paid toward developing advanced functional materials to enhance the performance of each unit or provide new featured functions.This review paper provides a comprehensive review on recent achievements and advances in the modification and development of functional materials for MFC systems,including 1)the development of functional anode materials for enhanced microbial compatibilities as well as electron transfer capabilities,2)the development of cost-effective separators/membranes such as ion exchange membrane,porous membrane,polymer electrolyte membrane and composite membrane,and 3)the development of functional cathode catalysts to decrease the over-potential and enhance the electrocatalytic efficiency for oxygen reduction reaction in order to substitute the common costly Pt catalyst.The challenges and outlooks of functional materials for MFC applications are also discussed.

Cathodic biofouling control by microbial separators in air-breathing microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells(MFCs)incorporating air-breathing cathodes have emerged as a promising ecofriendly wastewater treatment technology capable of operating on an energy-free basis.However,the inevitable biofouling of these devices rapidly decreases cathodic catalytic activity and also reduces the stability of MFCs during long-term operation.The present work developed a novel microbial separator for use in air-breathing MFCs that protects cathodic catalytic activity.In these modified devices,microbes preferentially grow on the microbial separator rather than the cathodic surface such that biofouling is prevented.Trials showed that this concept provided low charge transfer and mass diffusion resistance values during the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction of 4.6±1.3 and 17.3±6.8 U,respectively,after prolonged operation.The maximum power density was found to be stable at 1.06±0.07 W m
2 throughout a long-term test and the chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency was increased to 92%compared with a value of 83%for MFCs exhibiting serious biofouling.In addition,a cathode combined with a microbial separator demonstrated less cross-cathode diffusion of oxygen to the anolyte.This effect indirectly induced the growth of electroactive bacteria and produced higher currents in air-breathing MFCs.Most importantly,the present microbial separator concept enhances both the lifespan and economics of air-breathing MFCs by removing the need to replace or regenerate the cathode during longterm operation.These results indicate that the installation of a microbial separator is an effective means of stabilizing power generation and ensuring the cost-effective performance of air-breathing MFCs intended for future industrial applications.