A novel microbial fuel cell electrode design: prototyping a self-standing one-step bacteria-encapsulating bioanode with electrospinning

Abstract

In this study, the electrospinning technique is shown to be a viable method for the synthesis of a bacteria-encapsulating bioanode. A coaxial setup was designed to yield in one step a bioanode made of two fibers networks: one encapsulating the electroactive bacteria Shewanella oneidensis and the other one providing the necessary conductivity for electron transport throughout the bioelectrode. The electrical conductivity of this “integrated bioanode” (∼10⁻² to 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹) was deemed satisfactory and it was then included into a microbial fuel cells (MFC). The resulting MFC exhibited electricity generation. We further demonstrate that this electrode can be cryodesiccated and still exhibits an electrochemical activity once integrated into the MFC reactor. Its volume current and power densities were similar to those recorded for the fresh electrospun bioanode (up to 3260 A m⁻³ and 230 W m⁻³ for the thin cryodesiccated bioanode (∼410 μm)). Such impressive volume current densities for thin electrospun systems may be for instance envisioned to be applied to wearable or paper-based MFCs which require a certain flexibility.