Issue 109, 2015

Conversion of straw to nitrogen doped carbon for efficient oxygen reduction catalysts in microbial fuel cells

Abstract

The exploration of highly-efficient and low-cost oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts was still a major task for microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Herein, we report the conversion of cheap and widely available biomass to nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) for highly-efficient ORR catalysts in air-cathode MFCs. The NC was prepared from rice straw through a three-step process, including hydrothermal carbonization, freeze drying and heat-treatment in NH3. The NC had a high nitrogen content of 5.57 at% and showed outstanding catalytic activity for ORR. The MFC based on the NC generated a high maximum power density of 2300 mW m−2, which was much higher than that of the Pt/C.

Graphical abstract: Conversion of straw to nitrogen doped carbon for efficient oxygen reduction catalysts in microbial fuel cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
31 Jul 2015
Accepted
16 Oct 2015
First published
16 Oct 2015

RSC Adv., 2015,5, 89771-89776

Author version available

Conversion of straw to nitrogen doped carbon for efficient oxygen reduction catalysts in microbial fuel cells

L. Liu, Q. Xiong, C. Li, Y. Feng and S. Chen, RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 89771 DOI: 10.1039/C5RA15235F

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