Robust Porous Fe,Co-Nc Cathode Catalyst Derived from SiO <sub>2</sub> -Protected Ferrocene-ZIF-67 for Enhanced Microbial Fuel Cell Performance
Darya Shokri Asri, Soheil Aber, Reza Teimuri‐Mofrad, Ali Rezaei
Abstract
The demand for efficient and sustainable energy sources has intensified research toward microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as a potential solution. One of the key challenges in MFC technology is the development of cost-effective and high-performance cathode catalysts, as traditional noble metal catalysts are expensive and limited in supply. In this work, a SiO 2 -assisted strategy was used to synthesize Por-Fe,Co-NC as an electrocatalyst exhibiting improved oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and MFC performance, demonstrating the effectiveness of transition-metal-based catalysts derived from metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). The Por-Fe,Co-NC electrocatalyst exhibited superior ORR performance, attributed to its high specific surface area, porous structure, and abundant exposure of catalytic active sites, compared to the non-SiO 2 -assisted catalyst (Fe,Co-NC). In addition, the Por-Fe,Co-NC was used as the cathode catalyst in an MFC device. The maximum power density and stable output voltage of Por-Fe,Co-NC MFC were 154.2 mW m –2 and 278 mV, respectively, which were better than those of Fe,Co-NC MFC. Por-Fe,Co-NC MFC showed a better COD removal efficiency of 92.91% in the anode solution, as well, much higher than 79.25% and 63.77% for Fe,Co-NC and graphite MFCs, respectively. This novel structure design represents a promising and informative paradigm for utilizing MOF-derived nanomaterials in the area of flexible and sustainable energy applications.