Effect of binder‐free graphene–cetyltrimethylammonium bromide anode on the performance of microbial fuel cells

Abstract

AbstractBACKGROUNDGraphene has been widely used as an anode modification material to enhance the performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The hydrophobicity of graphene and the insulation of the binders used in the electrode preparation were two adverse factors for performance enhancement of the graphene (G) anodes. In this work, binder‐free graphene–cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) anodes (G‐CTAB‐2.5, G‐CTAB‐5 and G‐CTAB‐10) prepared with low loadings of CTAB treated graphene were fabricated through a simple strategy and their performance tested in single‐chamber MFCs.RESULTSThe biofilms on the positively charged and hydrophilic G‐CTAB anodes had higher electrocatalytic activity and more diverse microbial populations than those on the G anode. The G‐CTAB‐5 anode showed the best performance, and the maximum output power density (Pmax) of the MFC was 731.3 mW m−2 which was 3.7 times higher than that of the MFC with the G anode.CONCLUSIONThe results showed that the G‐CTAB anode with very low graphene loading exhibited excellent performance. This work provides new prospects for the development of better graphene anodes to further enhance the performance of MFCs. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry