Researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have found that a high-performance anode for microbial fuel cells can be created by coating live, electro-active bacteria with a conductive polymer. By modifying bacterial cells while keeping them alive, the researchers achieved 23 times the maximum power density of the anode in an unmodified microbial fuel cell. While microbial fuel cells are being widely tested for sustainable energy production and wastewater treatment, their power density has typically remained low.
Researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have found that a high-performance anode for microbial fuel cells can be created by coating live, electro-active bacteria with a conductive polymer. By modifying bacterial cells while keeping them alive, the researchers achieved 14 times the maximum power density of the anode in an unmodified microbial fuel cell. While microbial fuel cells are being widely tested for sustainable energy production and wastewater treatment, their power density has typically remained low.