Polyaniline/Carbon Nanotube‐Modified Carbon Felt for Accelerating Underwater Microbial Gas Production to Enhance Power Generation

Abstract

AbstractHarvesting energy from bubbles produced by seafloor microorganisms to power underwater devices is a promising method. However, the slow gas production rate under natural conditions hinders the practical application of this technology. Herein, we synthesized polyaniline/carboxyl multiwalled carbon nanotube/carbon felt (PANI/c‐MWCNT/CF) by dip‐coating and in‐situ chemical polymerization for accelerating gas production rate from underwater anaerobic digestion. The optimal WNCNTS addition dosage in modified CF was determined to be 0.5 g/L. Compared with the control group, the PANI/c‐MWCNT/CF improved the gas production yield and rate by 48% and 59%, respectively. Furthermore, after seven days of continuous experiments, the high gas production rate was maintained, demonstrating that the PANI/c‐MWCNT/CF is durable and stable. This study supplies enough gas for the underwater bubble energy harvester, removing environmental constraints on subsea in‐situ power generation and opening up a broad prospect for the power supply to underwater equipment.