Improved performances of E. coli-catalyzed microbial fuel cells with composite graphite/PTFE anodes

The composite graphite/PTFE electrodes with a variety of PTFE contents were tested as anodes in microbial fuel cell (MFC) based on the biocatalysis of bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli). It is shown that the PTFE content in the composite electrodes can significantly influence the efficiency of current generation of the MFCs. The composite electrodes with optimized PTFE contents, e.g., 24% to 36% (w/w), are well-suited to serve as anode of E. coli-catalyzed MFCs. In the absence of exogenous electron mediators, E. coli-catalyzed MFC with the composite anode containing 30% PTFE and a conventional air cathode exhibited a power density of 760 mW m−2, which is even much higher than those reported in the literature so far for E. coli MFCs using efficient electron mediators. These results show significant prospects for developing low cost and effective anode of MFCs.