Nanostructured Graphene/TiO2 Hybrids as High‐Performance Anodes for Microbial Fuel Cells |
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| Authors: | Cui‐e Zhao Wen‐Jing Wang Dong Sun Dr Xin Wang Prof Jian‐Rong Zhang Prof Jun‐Jie Zhu |
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| Institution: | 1. State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (P.R. China);2. MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (P.R. China);3. School of Chemistry and Life Science, Nanjing University, Jinling College, Nanjing 210089 (P.R. China) |
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| Abstract: | A new nanostructured graphene/TiO2 (G/TiO2) hybrid was synthesized by a facile microwave‐assisted solvothermal process in which amorphous TiO2 was assembled on graphene in situ. The resulting G/TiO2 hybrids were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, Raman spectroscopy, and N2 adsorption/desorption analysis. The electrochemical properties of the hybrids as anode materials for Shewanella‐inoculated microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were studied for the first time, and they proved to be effective in improving MFC performance. The significantly improved bacterial attachment and extracellular electron‐transfer efficiency could be attributed to the high specific surface area, active groups, large pore volume, and excellent conductivity of the nanostructured G/TiO2 hybrid, and this suggests that it could be a promising candidate for high‐performance MFCs. |
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| Keywords: | fuel cells graphene microwave chemistry solvothermal synthesis titania |
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