Pyrolytic carbon-coated stainless steel felt as a high-performance anode for bioelectrochemical systems.
Scale up of bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) requires highly conductive, biocompatible and stable electrodes. Here we present pyrolytic carbon-coated stainless steel felt (C-SS felt) as a high-performance and scalable anode. The electrode is created by generating a carbon layer on stainless steel felt (SS felt) via a multi-step deposition process involving α-d-glucose impregnation, caramelization, and pyrolysis. Physicochemical characterizations of the surface elucidate that a thin (20±5μm) and homogenous layer of polycrystalline graphitic carbon was obtained on SS felt surface after modification. The carbon coating significantly increases the biocompatibility, enabling robust electroactive biofilm formation. The C-SS felt electrodes reach current densities (jmax) of 3.65±0.14mA/cm(2) within 7days of operation, which is 11 times higher than plain SS felt electrodes (0.30±0.04mA/cm(2)). The excellent biocompatibility, high specific surface area, high conductivity, good mechanical strength, and low cost make C-SS felt a promising electrode for BESs.
['Guo|Kun|K|', 'Hidalgo|Diana|D|', 'Tommasi|Tonia|T|', 'Rabaey|Korneel|K|']
D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources D018441:Biofilms D002244:Carbon D002384:Catalysis D004563:Electrochemistry D004566:Electrodes D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman D013193:Stainless Steel D013499:Surface Properties D013696:Temperature
Stainless steel felt Bioelectrochemical systems Microbial electrocatalysis Pyrolytic carbon coating Scalable electrode Surface modification