Nanostructured gas diffusion layer to improve direct oxygen reduction reaction in Air-Cathode Single-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells

¹ Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico of Turin, 10129, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 29, Italy
² Center for Sustainable Future and Technologies, Italian Institute of Technology, 10100, Via Livorno 60, Italy

^* Corresponding author: giulia.massaglia@polito.it

Abstract

The aim of this work is the development of new nanostructured-gas-diffusion-layer (GDL) to improve the overall behaviour of Air-Cathode Single-Chamber-Microbial-Fuel-Cells (SCMFCs). The design of new nanostructured-GDL allowed exploiting all nanofibers ’intrinsic properties, such as high surface ratio to volume, high porosity, achieving thus a good oxygen diffusion into the proximity of catalyst layer, favouring thus the direct oxygen-reduction-reaction (ORR). Nanostructured-GDLs were prepared by electrospinning process, using a layer-by-layer deposition to collect 2 nanofibers’ mats. The first layer was made of cellulose nanofibers able to promote oxygen diffusion into SCMFC. The second layer, placed outwards, was based on polyvinyl-fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers to prevent the electrolyte leakage. This nanostructured-GDL plays a pivotal role to improve the overall performance of Air-Cathode-SCMFCs. A maximum current density of 20 mA m^-2 was obtained, which is higher than the one reached with commercial-GDL, used as reference material. All results were analysed in terms of energy recovery parameter, defined as ratio of generated power integral and the internal volume of devices, evaluating the overall SCMFC performance. SCMFCs with a nanostructured-GDL showed an energy recovery equal to 60.83 mJ m^-3, which was one order of magnitude higher than the one obtained with commercial-GDL, close to 3.92 mJ m^-3.