Solar-assisted dual chamber microbial fuel cell with a CuInS2 photocathode

Abstract

We report a solar-assisted microbial fuel cell (solar MFC) that can produce electricity through coupling a microbial anode with flower-like CuInS₂ (CIS) as the photocathode. Scanning electron microscopy images displayed a hierarchical structure of CIS, which would be beneficial to facilitate electron transfer in MFC. The electrochemical and photo-responsive activity of CIS was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and photocurrent tests. We propose a hypothesized mechanism of MFC operation that light-responsive CIS generated electron–hole pairs and triggered bioanodes for electricity generation. LSV curves and photocurrent data displayed the flower-like CIS and showed enhanced photocurrent generation under visible light irradiation. Based on the improved photoelectrochemical properties, the solar MFC achieved a maximum power density of 0.108 mW cm⁻² and a current density of 0.62 mA cm⁻². CIS as a photocathode presents a comparable power density to Pt/C in MFC.