Ni/β-Mo2C as noble-metal-free anodic electrocatalyst of microbial fuel cell based on Klebsiella pneumoniae

A composite of nickel and β-molybdenum carbide (Ni/β-Mo2C) was prepared from solution derived precursor and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). The activity of Ni/β-Mo2C as noble-metal-free anodic electrocatalyst of microbial fuel cell (MFC) based on Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) was investigated by electrochemical measurements. The results from voltammetric measurements show that Ni/β-Mo2C has high electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of formate, lactate, ethanol, and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-benzoquinon (2,6-DTBBQ), which are the main metabolites of K. pneumoniae. The results from polarization curve measurement indicate that the MFC using Ni/β-Mo2C as anodic electrocatalyst delivers a higher power density than the MFC using β-Mo2C as anodic electrocatalyst. Ni/β-Mo2C provides the MFC based on K. pneumoniae with a novel noble-metal-free anodic electrocatalyst of high activity.

► Ni/β-Mo2C as noble-metal-free electrocatalyst. ► Microbial fuel cell based on K. pneumoniae. ► Electrocatalytic oxidation of metabolites. ► Improved power density output of the microbial fuel cell.