POLYANILINE AND POLYPYRROLE COMPOSITES AS CATHODE CATALYST FOR OXYGEN REDUCTION REACTION IN MICROBIAL FUEL CELL

Abstract

THIS RESEARCH FOCUSED ON THE POLYANILINE AND POLYPYRROLE NANO-COMPOSITES SYNTHESIZED VIA IN-SITU POLYMERIZATION METHODS WITH DIFFERENT MORPHOLOGY OF CARBON NANOMATERIALS AND THE INVESTIGATION OF THEIR POWER OUTPUT WHEN USED AS CATHODE CATALYST IN MICROBIAL FUEL CELL. SEM IMAGES SHOWED THE PANI/CNT DISPLAYED TUBULAR MICROSTRUCTURE, INDICATING THE POLYMERIZATION PROCESS OCCURRED ON THE SURFACE OF THE CNT, AND THE FTIR SPECTRA FURTHER CONFIRMED THIS CONCLUSION. THE MAXIMUM POWER DENSITY OF THE MFC WITH PANI/CNT (0.5:1) WITH 5 MG/CM2 LOADING WAS 368.17 MW/M2, WHICH WAS 4 TIMES HIGHER THAN THE UNMODIFIED MFC. ELECTROCHEMICAL IMPEDANCE SPECTROSCOPY (EIS) REVEALED THE ADDITION OF PANI/CNT LOWERED THE RESISTANCE OF THE ELECTRODE AND THE EQUIVALENT MFC, ESPECIALLY THE DIFFUSION RESISTANCE, IMPROVING THE CATALYTIC EFFICIENCY OF OXYGEN REDUCTION REACTION (ORR). BY DOPING WITH METAL OXIDE, PANI/FE3O4/CNT AND PANI/MNO2/CNT SHOWED LOWER RESISTANCE, WHICH PROVIDED EVIDENCE FOR MORE ACTIVE SITES FO