MnCo₂O₄ coated carbon felt anode for enhanced microbial fuel cell performance

A highly efficient anode is very crucial for an improved microbial fuel cell (MFC) performance. In this study, a binder-free manganese cobalt oxide (MnCo₂O₄@CF) anode was synthesized using a conventional carbon felt (CF) by a facile hydrothermal method. A large electrochemically active and rough electrode surface area of MnCo₂O₄@CF anode improved the substrate fluxes and microbial adhesion/growth. Furthermore, the electrochemical tests on the synthesized anode confirmed the superior bioelectrochemical activity, reduced ion transfer resistance, and excellent capacitance. This resulted in an improved power density (945 mW/m²), which was 3.8 times higher than that of CF anode. The variable valence state, high stability and biocompatibility of MnCo₂O₄@CF resulted in continuous current density performance for five MFC cycles. High-throughput biofilm analysis revealed the enrichment of electricity producing phylum of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes (∼90.0%), which signified that the modified MnCo₂O₄ anode accelerated the enrichment of electro-active microbes.