Abstract
The high cost and limited availability of cathode catalyst materials (most commonly Pt) prevent the large-scale practical application of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In this study, unique Pt group metal-free (PGM-free) nanocatalysts were fabricated using a simple and cost-effective technique called electrophoretic deposition (EPD) to create a high catalytic oxygen reduction reaction rate (ORR) on the cathode surface of MFCs. Among the tested PGM-free catalysts (Ni, Co, and Cd-based), a maximum power density of 1630.7 mW m−2 was achieved based on nickel nanoparticles. This value was 400% greater than that obtained using a commercial Pt catalyst under the same conditions. This result was due to the uniform deposition of a thin layer of Ni/NiOx nanoparticles on the cathode, which improved electrical conductivity, catalytic activity, and long-term stability while reducing electron transfer resistance. The fabricated PGM-free catalysts significantly improved MFC performance and accelerated ORR induced by the novel layered morphology of metal/metal oxide nanoparticles.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 5960-5970 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | International Journal of Hydrogen Energy |
Volume | 45 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 21 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was funded by Korea Ministry of Environment as “Global Top Project” (Grant No. 2016002190008 ), and in part by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (Grant No. 2019R1A2C1006356 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC
Keywords
- Electrophoretic deposition
- Metal oxide
- Microbial fuel cells
- Nanocatalysts
- Oxygen reduction reaction
- Pt-group-metal-free
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Fuel Technology
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Energy Engineering and Power Technology