Enhancing Performance\nof Microbial Fuel Cell by Binder-Free\nModification of Anode with Reduced Graphene Oxide through One-Step\nElectrochemical Exfoliation and In Situ Electrodeposition

As the core component of microbial\nfuel cells, the conductivity\nand biocompatibility of anode are hard to achieve simultaneously but\nsignificantly influence the power generation performance and the overall\ncost of microbial fuel cells. Stainless steel felt has a low price\nand high conductivity, making it a potential anode for the large-scale\napplication of microbial fuel cells. However, its poor biocompatibility\nlimits its application. This study provides a one-step binder-free\nmodification method of a stainless steel felt anode with reduced graphene\noxide to retain the high conductivity while greatly improving biocompatibility.\nThe maximum power density achieved by reduced graphene oxide modified\nstainless steel felt was 951.89 mW/m<sup>2</sup>, 5.49 and 1.91 times\nhigher than the unmodified stainless steel felt anode and reduced\ngraphene oxide coated stainless steel felt by Nafion, respectively.\nThe robust reduced graphene oxide modification markedly improved the\nbiocompatibility by forming a uniform biofilm and utilizing the high\nconductivity of reduced graphene oxide to enhance the charge transfer\nrate. It led to 92.7 and 37.9% decreases in charge transfer resistance\nof reduced graphene oxide modified stainless steel felt compared to\nthe unmodified one and the anode modified with reduced graphene oxide\nby Nafion, respectively. The excellent performance and green synthesis\nmethod of the anode validated its potential as a high-performance\nanode material for scaled-up microbial fuel cell applications.