微生物燃料电池

微生物燃料电池 (Microbial Fuel Cells，MFCs) 是一种利用微生物作为催化剂，将燃料中的化学能直接转化为电能的装置。本文首先简要介绍了MFCs 的发展简史和基本原理，针对MFCs 产电性能低的现状，分别从产电微生物、电池结构、质子交换膜(PEM)、电极以及电解液等方面着重综述了近几年有关提高MFCs 产电性能的研究进展。最后介绍了关于MFCs 的另一些有趣的研究方向：植物MFCs，生物阴极MFCs，以及污水脱氮和有毒废水处理。

Microbial Fuel Cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are bioreactors that convert chemical energy in the chemical bonds in organic compounds to electrical energy through catalytic reaction of microorganisms under anaerobic conditions. The history and the operation principle of MFCs are present firstly. Currently, real applications of MFCs are limited because of their low power density. This paper review the recent advance in MFCs research with emphases on enhancing the power density in respect of the microbes used in MFCs, the structure of the cell, the proton exchange membrane, the electrode and the electrolyte. Some interesting studies about MFCs are offered, such as plant-MFCs, application of biocathode in MFCs, bio-electrochemical denitrification and treatment of toxic wastewater. Contents
1 History of microbial fuel cell development
2 Principle of microbial fuel cells
3 Development bottleneck and improvement methods
3.1 Electricigens
3.2 Structures of microbial fuel cells
3.3 Proton exchange membranes
3.4 Electrode materials
3.5 Electrolyte
3.6 Other aspects
4 Latest research directions
4.1 Plant microbial fuel cells
4.2 Biocathode microbial fuel cells
4.3 Denitrification and toxic wasterwater treatment
5 Conclusion