The use of cloth fabric diffusion layers for scalable microbial fuel cells

A scalable and pre-manufactured cloth material (Goretex® fabric) was used as a diffusion layer (DL) material as a replacement for a liquid-applied polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) DL. Cathodes with the Goretex fabric heat-bonded to the air-side of carbon cloth cathode (CC-Goretex) produced a maximum power density of 1330 ± 30 mW/m2, similar to that using a PTFE DL (1390 ± 70 mW/m2, CC-PTFE). This method was also successfully used to produce cathodes made of inexpensive carbon mesh, which resulted in only slightly less power (1180 ± 10 mW/m2) (CM-Goretex). Coulombic efficiencies were a function of current density, with the highest value for CC-PTFE cathodes (63%), similar to CC-Goretex cathodes (61%), and slightly larger than that obtained for the CM-Goretex cathodes (54%). These results show that a commercially available fabric can easily be used as the DL in an MFC, achieving performance similar to that obtained with a more labor-intensive process based on liquid-applied DLs using PTFE.

► Goretex fabric was tested as a diffusion layer (DL) in microbial fuel cells (MFCs).
► The DL performance was similar to that of liquid-applied polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).
► The pre-manufactured DL is a promising approach for building a scalable MFC cathode.