Uniform Distribution of Pd on GO-C Catalysts for Enhancing the Performance of Air Cathode Microbial Fuel Cell

Abstract

Metal, as a high-performance electrode catalyst, is a research hotspot in the construction of a high-performance microbial fuel cell (MFC). However, metal catalyst nanoparticles and their dispersed carriers are prone to aggregation, producing catalytic electrodes with inferior qualities. In this study, Pd is uniformly dispersed on the graphene framework supported by carbon black to form nanocomposite catalysts (Pd/GO-C catalysts). The effect of the palladium loading amount in the catalyst on the catalytic performance of the air cathode was further studied. The optimized metal loading afforded a reduced resistance and improved accessibility of Pd particles for the ORR. The maximum current output of the 0.250 Pd (mg/cm2) MFC was 1645 mA/m2, which is 4.2-fold higher than that of the carbon paper cathode. Overall, our findings provide a novel protocol for the preparation of high-efficient ORR catalyst for MFCs.