An efficient optofluidic photocatalytic fuel cell with dual-photoelectrode for electricity generation from wastewater treatment

A novel optofluidic photocatalytic fuel cell consisted of a Cu2O photocathode and a BiVO4 photoanode for efficient electricity generation from wastewater treatment. The dual-photoelectrodes design can greatly improve the separation efficiency of the photoexcited charge. Notably, the photoelectrodes were shoulder-to-shoulder placed in a microchamber, not only providing easy fabrication but also offering a large contact area between electrolyte and photoelectrodes. Additionally, the reduced inherent ohmic loss of as-established optofluidic PFC increased the maximum theoretic power density by ~60%. The photoelectricity conversion in using glucose as model organic waste has been entirely recorded under 1 sun illumination. The open-circuit voltage and short-circuit photocurrent were 0.463 ​V and 0.113 ​mA cm-2, respectively, which were ~2.5 times higher than that of the traditional large-dimension PFC. The PFC proposed in this study opened up a new insight into developing an efficient PFC system for pollutant treatment and electricity generation.