A microbial desalination cell (MDC) is able to desalinate salt water without energy consumption whilst generating bioenergy. Previously MDCs used abiotic cathodes, which are restricted in application by high operating costs and low levels of sustainability whereas, in the present study, an aerobic biocathode consisting of carbon felt and bacterial catalysts was tested. The biocathode MDC produc...

Catalysts and catalyst binders are significant portions of the cost of microbial fuel cell (MFC) cathodes. Many materials have been tested as aqueous cathodes, but air-cathodes are needed to avoid energy demands for water aeration. Packed-bed air-cathodes were constructed without expensive binders or diffusion layers using four inexpensive carbon-based materials. Cathodes made from activated ca...

In a direct methanol fuel cell system (DMFC), one of the drawbacks is crossover. Methanol from anode passes through membrane and enters cathode, causing mixed potential in cell. Only Pt-based catalysts are capable operating as cathode for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) harsh acidic condition DMFC. However, it causes due to high activity toward oxidation Pt. To overcome this situation, developi...

The role of partially fluorinated carbon (CFx) supported platinum nanoparticles as proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) electrodes in a hydrogen is investigated. CFx employed catalyst support via impregnation for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at various loadings to determine the optimal loading ORR and compared widely used (non-fluorinated) Vulcan Carbon (XC-72R). In half-cell testing, ...

Despite great progress in the development of nonprecious metal catalysts (NPMCs) over the past several decades, the performance and stability of these promising catalysts have not yet achieved commercial readiness for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Through rational design of the cathode catalyst layer (CCL), we demonstrate the highest reported performance for an NPMC-based membra...

This work addresses the development of a compact paper-based enzymatic microfluidic glucose/O2 fuel cell that can operate using a very limited sample volume (≈35µl) and explores the energy generated by glucose at concentrations typically found in blood samples at physiological conditions (pH 7.4). Carbon paper electrodes combined with a paper sample absorption substrate all contained within a p...

A comparison between different carbon-based gas-diffusion air-breathing cathodes for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is presented in this work. A micro-porous layer (MPL) based on carbon black (CB) and an activated carbon (AC) layer were used as catalysts and applied on different supporting materials, including carbon cloth (CC), carbon felt (CF), and stainless steel (SS) forming cathode electrodes...

Developing efficient catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is essential for rechargeable Li-O2 battery. In our present work, porous LaNiO3 nanocubes were employed as electrocatalyst in Li-O2 battery cell. The as-prepared battery showed excellent charging performance with significantly reduced overpotential (3.40 V). The synergistic effect of porous structure, large specific surface area ...

The high cost of the catalyst material used for the oxygen reduction reaction in microbial fuel cell (MFC) cathodes is one of the factors limiting practical applications of this technology. Mesoporous nitrogen-rich carbon (MNC), prepared at different temperatures, was examined as an oxygen reduction catalyst, and compared in performance to Pt in MFCs and electrochemical cells. MNC calcined at 8...

The lack of high-efficient, low-cost, and durable bifunctional electrocatalysts that act simultaneously for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is currently one of the major obstacles to commercializing the electrical rechargeability of zinc-air batteries. A nanocomposite CoO-NiO-NiCo bifunctional electrocatalyst supported by nitrogen-doped multiwall carb...