title: A novel stainless steel mesh/cobalt oxide hybrid electrode for efficient catalysis of oxygen reduction in a microbial fuel cell.
abstract: To explore efficient and cost-effective cathode material for microbial fuel cells (MFCs), the present study fabricates a new type of binder-free gas diffusion electrode made of cobalt oxide (Co3O4) micro-particles directly grown on stainless steel mesh (SSM) by using an ammonia-evaporation-induced method. In various electrochemical analyses and evaluations in batch-fed dual-chamber MFCs, the SSM/Co3O4 hybrid electrode demonstrates improved performances in terms of electrocatalytic activity, selectivity, durability and economics toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in pH-neutral solution, in comparison with conventional carbon supported platinum catalyst. This study suggests a new strategy to fabricate a more effective electrode for ORR in MFCs, making it more technically and economically viable to produce electrical energy from organic materials for practical applications.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin 150090, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Bo
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin 150090, PR China. Electronic address: sjyou@hit.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Shi-Jie
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: You
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin 150090, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiu-Heng
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin 150090, PR China.
authors.forename: Jin-Na
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Catalysis Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin 150001, PR China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin 150090, PR China. Electronic address: rnq@hit.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Nan-Qi
authors.initials: NQ
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D001420:Bacteria, Aerobic / Q000502:physiology*; D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources / Q000382:microbiology*; D002384:Catalysis; D003035:Cobalt / Q000737:chemistry*; D004566:Electrodes; D004735:Energy Transfer / Q000502:physiology*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D013193:Stainless Steel / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010087:Oxides; D013193:Stainless Steel; D003035:Cobalt; D010100:Oxygen; C060728:cobalt oxide
keywords: Cobalt oxide; Gas diffusion electrode; Microbial fuel cells; Oxygen reduction reaction; Stainless steel mesh