Use of the oxygen storage material CeO2 as co-catalyst to improve the performance of microbial fuel cells

The issue of slow kinetics associated with oxygen reduction at the cathode continues to be a major barrier in achieving higher power outputs in microbial fuel cells. Due to its capability to store and transfer oxygen, the capacity of co-catalysts viz., ceria (CeO2) nano-particles, coated on graphite, to improve the performance of MFC is investigated. These CeO2 nanoparticles show synergistic effect when used along with MnO2/AC catalyst. Ternary catalysts, with up to 10 wt% CeO2, show power density of ∼2403 mW/m3 which is higher than that observed by only using the optimized MnO2/AC cathode catalyst. A simple theoretically postulated model is used to explain the results.