Promoting electricity generation of shewanella putrefaciens in a microbial fuel cell by modification of porous poly(3-aminophenylboronic acid) film on carbon anode

Abstract

We report here that the electricity generation of Shewanella putrefaciens in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) can be greatly boosted by modification of a porous poly(3-aminophenylboronic acid) (p-PAPBA) film on carbon cloth (CC) anode. The p-PAPBA/CC electrode was prepared by electropolymerization of 3-aminophenylboronic acid on SiO2 nanoparticles modified CC electrode, followed by HF leaching. The boronic acid-saccharide interactions between p-PAPBA film and bacterial cell surfaces enabled rapid biofilm growth and increased biofilm density, and the porous structure of p-PAPBA film facilitated the mediated extracellular electron transfer of Shewanella putrefaciens via self-secreted flavins, all of which resulted in promoted electricity generation of Shewanella putrefaciens in the MFC. A maximal power density of 928 ± 20 mW m−2 was generated by the MFC using the p-PAPBA/CC anode, which was 4.4-fold that of the MFC using the CC anode. This study provides a promising way to promote the electricity generation of Shewanella putrefaciens in MFCs by making full use of the boronic acid-saccharide interactions.