Application of Graphene-Based Materials to Improve Electrode Performance in Microbial Fuel Cells

The microbial fuel cell (MFC) as a novel technology integrates wastewater treatment with energy production and has raised great research interest in recent years. One of the grand challenges in MFC development is improving its power output through exploring new materials for electrodes and catalysts. Graphene, with its desirable properties (e.g., high electrical conductivity, large surface area, applicable electrocatalytic activities, etc.), holds great promise for applications in MFCs. In this chapter, we present recent research efforts to use graphene-based materials for both anode and cathode electrodes in MFCs. For anode electrodes, some progress has been made toward reducing the stacking of graphene nanosheets, enhancing the bacterial loading on the electrodes and improving the conductivity of graphene oxide. The focus of graphene-based cathode electrodes is to make use of the high catalytic activity of graphene for the disproportionation of H2O2, which could facilitate the four-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in the cathode, showing the potential of graphene-based cathode electrodes as an alternative to the expensive platinum-based electrodes. Some challenges are identified and discussed toward effective application of graphene-based materials in MFCs.