Work

Facile polymer-based monolithic microbial fuel cells

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Additive manufacturing technologies have shown promising results over conventional methods in fabricating all components of energy devices. A relentless drive to fabricate all critical components in a single step is the core driving force. In the current work, monolithic microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are evaluated using Porolay series filaments, replacing multilayer cellulose paper substrates-based MFCs for the first time. Leveraging the benefits of 3D printing, different filaments of the Porolay series are employed for varying the thickness and internal architectures of critical components such as membranes, electrodes and reservoirs, targeting the maximum throughput. Amongst four different filaments, the Gel lay performed the best in terms of power output. The optimised thicknesses are membrane 0.4 mm, reservoir 1 mm, and layer above reservoir 0.6mm. Further, facile electrodes are developed, combining screen printing and drop casting using an electric paint, which covers the surface as well as the internal strands of the printed substrate, enhancing the electron-capturing sites. Based on the optimised critical components and filaments, the monolithic printed substrate is able to generate a stable OCV of 0.49 V for approximately 90 minutes and deliver a power of 12.3 μW/cm 2 using E.Coli as the biocatalyst. This low-cost device can assist point-of-care testing as a freestanding power source.

Source: Renewable Energy

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.122848

Authors: Vikash Kumar, Sarat Singamneni

Institution: Auckland University of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Microbial Fuel Cells and Bioremediation

Subfield: Environmental Engineering

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,460