Bamboo-like nitrogen-doped carbon supported chlorine-doped Fe2P as an antibacterial oxygen reduction catalyst.

Abstract

Bio-inspiration and biomimetics offer guidance for designing and synthesizing advanced catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Herein, a chlorine-doped Fe2P supported by nitrogen-doped carbon (Cl-Fe2P/NC) catalyst was designed and prepared based on imitating the bamboo structure. The electronegative chlorine captured the electron transfer from Fe2P and transferred it to NC through carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The antibacterial chlorine inhibited the cathode biofilm formation to enhance the ion transport. Cl-Fe2P/NC achieved a half-wave potential of 0.91 V and an onset potential of 0.99 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode. After 500 h of reaction, the MFCs assembled by the Cl-Fe2P/NC cathode achieved a maximum power density of 1505 mW m-2. This work provides insights into the design of advanced materials through bio-inspiration and biomimicry.