Mo2 C/Reduced Graphene Oxide Composites with Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity and Biocompatibility for Microbial Fuel Cells.

Abstract

A simple, cost-effective strategy was developed to effectively improve the electron transfer efficiency as well as the power output of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) by decorating the commercial carbon paper (CP) anode with an advanced Mo2 C/reduced graphene oxide (Mo2 C/RGO) composite. Benefiting from the synergistic effects of the superior electrocatalytic activity of Mo2 C, the high surface area, and prominent conductivity of RGO, the MFC equipped with this Mo2 C/RGO composite yielded a remarkable output power density of 1747±37.6 mW m-2 , which was considerably higher than that of CP-MFC (926.8±6.3 mW m-2 ). Importantly, the composite also facilitated the formation of 3D hybrid biofilm and could effectively improve the bacteria-electrode interaction. These features resulted in an enhanced coulombic efficiency up 13.2 %, nearly one order of magnitude higher than that of the CP (1.2 %).