Abstract
Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fouling in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) is a major drawback since it limits proton migration. To mitigate membrane fouling, the typical strategy was surface coating with silver nanoparticles (AgNP) as sterilizing agents, but adverse silver release and interference on proton transfer are intrinsic constraint. In this study, to ameliorate these disadvantages the PEM was coated with AgNP and polydopamin (PDA), individually and in combination or even in different coating order, to study synergetic effects of these modifications. Combined use of PDA and AgNP showed a significantly higher MEC performance than a single coating (H2 recovery after 6 month operation; PDA_Ag = 68.12%, PDA-only = 16.1%, Ag-only = 5.69% and pristine = 3.21%). In terms of coating order, when AgNPs were coated immediately after the PDA coating, AgNPs were more uniformly formed and less released, and proton transportability (t¯+ = 0.96) was not sacrificed, showing a biofouling reduction of 80.74% compared to pristine PEM.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
