title: Improved interfacial oxygen reduction by ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid in the cathode of microbial fuel cell.
abstract: In this study, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) was investigated as a new kind of non-polymeric catalyst binder to improve interfacial oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for the cathode of microbial fuel cell (MFC). The electrochemical analysis and MFC tests show negative correlation between ORR activity and molar concentration of EDTA applied during electrode preparation. In particular, the 0.02mol/L-EDTA yields higher ORR activity than other binder materials like Nafion, water, 0.1mol/L-EDTA and 0.2mol/L-EDTA, as indicated by the strongest response of ORR current and the smallest charge-transfer resistance. Accordingly, the MFC with cathode of 0.02mol/L-EDTA produced a maximum power density of 722mW/m(2), accounting for a value approximately 42% higher than that of commercial Nafion binder (5wt%, 507mW/m(2)). The improved ORR activity should be attributed to the enhanced proton transfer from phosphate ions to EDTA-involved three-phase boundary as a result of dipole ion bonds on nitrogen atoms having unshared pair of electrons in EDTA molecule.
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.
authors.forename: Chong-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Cui
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: D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D004566:Electrodes; D004735:Energy Transfer; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D004492:Edetic Acid; D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Catalyst binder; Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid; Microbial fuel cell; Oxygen reduction reaction