Version 1
: Received: 18 September 2023 / Approved: 19 September 2023 / Online: 19 September 2023 (08:37:35 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 2 October 2023 / Approved: 2 October 2023 / Online: 3 October 2023 (03:12:07 CEST)
Massaglia, G.; Serra, T.; Pirri, F.C.; Quaglio, M. A Nanofiber-Based Gas Diffusion Layer for Improved Performance in Air Cathode Microbial Fuel Cells. Nanomaterials2023, 13, 2801.
Massaglia, G.; Serra, T.; Pirri, F.C.; Quaglio, M. A Nanofiber-Based Gas Diffusion Layer for Improved Performance in Air Cathode Microbial Fuel Cells. Nanomaterials 2023, 13, 2801.
Massaglia, G.; Serra, T.; Pirri, F.C.; Quaglio, M. A Nanofiber-Based Gas Diffusion Layer for Improved Performance in Air Cathode Microbial Fuel Cells. Nanomaterials2023, 13, 2801.
Massaglia, G.; Serra, T.; Pirri, F.C.; Quaglio, M. A Nanofiber-Based Gas Diffusion Layer for Improved Performance in Air Cathode Microbial Fuel Cells. Nanomaterials 2023, 13, 2801.
Abstract
The aim of this work is the development of new nanostructured-gas-diffusion-layer (GDL) to improve the overall behaviour of Air-Cathode Single-Chamber-Microbial-Fuel-Cells (SCMFCs). The design of new nanostructured-GDL allowed exploiting all nanofibers ’intrinsic properties, such as high surface ratio to volume, high porosity, achieving a good oxygen diffusion into the proximity of catalyst layer, favouring thus the direct oxygen-reduction-reaction (ORR). Nanostructured-GDLs were prepared by electrospinning process, using layer-by-layer deposition to collect 2 nanofibers’ mats. The first layer was made of cellulose nanofibers able to promote oxygen diffusion into SCMFC. The second layer, placed outwards, was based on polyvinyl-fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers to prevent the electrolyte leakage. This nanostructured-GDL plays a pivotal role to improve the overall performance of Air-Cathode-SCMFCs. A maximum current density of (132.2 ± 10.8) mA m-2 was obtained, which is two times higher than the one reached with commercial-PTFE (58.5 ± 2.4 mA m-2), used as reference material. All results were analyzed in terms of energy recovery parameter, defined as ratio of generated power integral and the internal volume of devices, evaluating the overall SCMFC performance. SCMFCs with a nanostructured-GDL showed an energy recovery one order of magnitude higher than the one obtained with commercial-PTFE.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
