Home > Press > Silver nanoparticles boost performance of microbial fuel cells
 |
Abstract:
Coating Shewanella bacteria with silver nanoparticles greatly boosts the performance of biofilm-based microbial fuel cells, researchers report. It achieves this effect by improving the transfer of electrons from the microbe to graphene electrodes in the fuel cells.
Silver nanoparticles boost performance of microbial fuel cells
Washington, DC | Posted on September 17th, 2021Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) use bacteria to directly convert the chemical energy stored in organic matter to electricity by harvesting the energy generated through metabolism with electrodes. Since MFCs can use a wide range of organic fuels to create electricity, the technology is attractive for renewable power generation from biomass and wastewater treatment. Among the bacteria used to power these systems, Shewanella species are particularly well-suited for the role and have been extensively studied. However, despite considerable efforts to improve these systems, current Shewanella MFCs often suffer from low current and power densities largely limited by the inefficient transfer of electrons between the microbe and the anode. Here, Bocheng Cao and colleagues report a novel strategy for boosting the performance of Shewanella MFCs. Cao et al. found that when the bacteria are placed on a reduced graphene oxide/silver nanoparticle (rGO/Ag) anode, silver nanoparticles become associated with their cellular membranes, greatly enhancing their electron-transfer efficiency. According to the authors, the resulting MFCs have a maximum current density of 3.85 milliamperes per square centimeter, a power density of 6.6 watts per meter squared, and a coulombic efficiency of 81%, all of which are considerably higher than other MFCs reported to date. “The optimized electron extraction and high CE reported by Cao et al. showcases that knowledge of molecular mechanisms of bacterial electron transfer can aid in designing microbial electrochemical technologies,” write Erin Gaffney and Shelley Minteer in a related Perspective.
####
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Science Press Package Team
American Association for the Advancement of Science/AAAS
Expert Contacts
Xiangfeng Duan
University of California, Los Angeles/California NanoSystems Institute
Yu Huang
University of California, Los Angeles/California NanoSystems Institute
Shelley Minteer
University of Utah
Copyright © American Association for the Advancement of Science
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Bookmark:
| Related News Press |
News and information
Engineering piezoelectricity and strain sensitivity in CdS to promote piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution May 13th, 2022
New nanomechanical oscillators with record-low loss May 13th, 2022
Small microring array enables large complex-valued matrix multiplication May 13th, 2022
2 Dimensional Materials
UCI scientists turn a hydrogen molecule into a quantum sensor: New technique enables precise measurement of electrostatic properties of materials April 22nd, 2022
Graphene crystals grow better under copper cover April 1st, 2022
Graphene gets enhanced by flashing: Rice process customizes one-, two- or three-element doping for applications March 31st, 2022
Possible Futures
Engineering piezoelectricity and strain sensitivity in CdS to promote piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution May 13th, 2022
New nanomechanical oscillators with record-low loss May 13th, 2022
Small microring array enables large complex-valued matrix multiplication May 13th, 2022
Discoveries
New nanomechanical oscillators with record-low loss May 13th, 2022
Small microring array enables large complex-valued matrix multiplication May 13th, 2022
Announcements
Engineering piezoelectricity and strain sensitivity in CdS to promote piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution May 13th, 2022
New nanomechanical oscillators with record-low loss May 13th, 2022
Small microring array enables large complex-valued matrix multiplication May 13th, 2022
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters
Lightening up the nanoscale long-wavelength optoelectronics May 13th, 2022
On-Chip Photodetection: Two-dimensional material heterojunctions hetero-integration May 13th, 2022
Engineering piezoelectricity and strain sensitivity in CdS to promote piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution May 13th, 2022
Energy
Engineering piezoelectricity and strain sensitivity in CdS to promote piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution May 13th, 2022
USTC found a pathway to high-quality ZnSe quantum wires April 8th, 2022
Automotive/Transportation
Scavenger nanoparticles could make fuel cell-powered vehicles a reality April 1st, 2022
Graphene gets enhanced by flashing: Rice process customizes one-, two- or three-element doping for applications March 31st, 2022
Re-jigged cathode recipe gives new hope to solid-state batteries for electric vehicles March 25th, 2022
Protective equipment with graphene nanotubes meets the strictest ESD safety standards March 25th, 2022
Fuel Cells
Scavenger nanoparticles could make fuel cell-powered vehicles a reality April 1st, 2022
Graphene gets enhanced by flashing: Rice process customizes one-, two- or three-element doping for applications March 31st, 2022
Activating lattice oxygen in perovskite oxide to optimize fuel cell performance December 17th, 2021
 |
||
 |
||
| The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
 |
||
|
|
||
| Premium Products | ||
 |
||
|
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
|
|
||