Nickel-cobalt manganate supported on reduced graphene oxide/carbon nanotube for improving air cathode performance in single chamber microbial fuel cell

In this paper, a hybrid electrocatalyst of nickel-cobalt manganite supported on reduced graphene oxide/carbon nanotube (NCMO/rGO/CNT) was prepared by hydrothermal method and its effect on the performance of a single chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC) was investigated. Characterization techniques confirmed the synthesis of spinel nanoparticles, their uniform distribution on carbon nanostructures, and the presence of CNT bridges across rGO nanosheets. The electrochemical studies indicate the dominance of the four-electron transfer pathway in ORR (n = 3.80). The maximum power density (Pmax) of the electrocatalytic modified membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) studied by an SCMFC-simulating half-cell (15.64 W.m−2) was approximately 11 times higher than that of the blank half-cell (1.38 W.m−2). The Pmax of the SCMFC modified by NCMO/rGO/CNT was 1.186 W.m−2, which was 7.65 times higher than that of blank fuel cell. The results suggest NCMO/rGO/CNT as an excellent electrocatalyst for SCMFCs.