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Liu Z, Li C, Razavi R. Metals doped carbon nanotubes and carbon nanocages (Co2-CNT(8, 0) and Sc2-C78) as catalysts of ORR in fuel cells. J Mol Graph Model 2022; 115:108212. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2022.108212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Vemuri B, Chilkoor G, Dhungana P, Islam J, Baride A, Koratkar N, Ajayan PM, Rahman MM, Hoefelmeyer JD, Gadhamshetty V. Oxygen Reduction Reaction with Manganese Oxide Nanospheres in Microbial Fuel Cells. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:11777-11787. [PMID: 35449907 PMCID: PMC9016819 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c06950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Operating microbial fuel cells (MFCs) under extreme pH conditions offers a substantial benefit. Acidic conditions suppress the growth of undesirable methanogens and increase redox potential for oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs), and alkaline conditions increase the electrocatalytic activity. However, operating any fuel cells, including MFCs, is difficult under such extreme pH conditions. Here, we demonstrate a pH-universal ORR ink based on hollow nanospheres of manganese oxide (h-Mn3O4) anchored with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on planar and porous forms of carbon electrodes in MFCs (pH = 3-11). Nanospheres of h-Mn3O4 (diameter ∼ 31 nm, shell thickness ∼ 7 nm) on a glassy carbon electrode yielded a highly reproducible ORR activity at pH 3 and 10, based on rotating disk electrode (RDE) tests. A phenomenal ORR performance and long-term stability (∼106 days) of the ink were also observed with four different porous cathodes (carbon cloth, carbon nanofoam paper, reticulated vitreous carbon, and graphite felt) in MFCs. The ink reduced the charge transfer resistance (R ct) to the ORR by 100-fold and 45-fold under the alkaline and acidic conditions, respectively. The current study promotes ORR activity and subsequently the MFC operations under a wide range of pH conditions, including acidic and basic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhuvan Vemuri
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, South Dakota Mines, 501 E Saint Joseph Blvd., Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, United States
- BuGReMeDEE
Consortium, South Dakota Mines, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, United States
| | - Govinda Chilkoor
- 2-Dimensional
Materials for Biofilm Engineering Science and Technology (2D-BEST)
Center, South Dakota Mines, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, United States
| | - Pramod Dhungana
- Department
of Chemistry, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark Street, Vermillion, South Dakota 57069, United States
| | - Jamil Islam
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, South Dakota Mines, 501 E Saint Joseph Blvd., Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, United States
- BuGReMeDEE
Consortium, South Dakota Mines, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, United States
| | - Aravind Baride
- Department
of Chemistry, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark Street, Vermillion, South Dakota 57069, United States
| | - Nikhil Koratkar
- Department
of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 Eighth Street, Troy, New York 12180, United
States
| | - Pulickel M. Ajayan
- Department
of Materials Science and Nano Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Muhammad M. Rahman
- Department
of Materials Science and Nano Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - James D. Hoefelmeyer
- Department
of Chemistry, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark Street, Vermillion, South Dakota 57069, United States
| | - Venkataramana Gadhamshetty
- BuGReMeDEE
Consortium, South Dakota Mines, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, United States
- 2-Dimensional
Materials for Biofilm Engineering Science and Technology (2D-BEST)
Center, South Dakota Mines, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, United States
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