Using an electrospinning technique, polymer materials have been spun using electrostatic potential to create a fiber mat. To develop the electrospinning opportunities available for practical applications, it is important that a full understanding of process parameters is achieved. These fundamental principles will form the initial framework of future research with the effects on polymer output examined as the primary focus of this article. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) and polylactic acid (PLA) polymer solutions were developed and a Design of Experiments (DoE) approach implemented, to determine whether the variation of factors led to significant effects on fiber output. Parameters altered were conductivity, concentration (% w/w), electrostatic potential, and the collection distance at which the fiber was obtained. Results taken considered the fiber diameter, deposition rate of material, current achieved at the point of collection and whether or not the material was actually able to electrospin and visibly produce polymer fiber. The results of this work indicate the presence of interactions between the processing parameters and as such allow a fine tuning process to be used to adapt production of the micro-and nanofibers to suit a desired application with specific materials properties.
Abstract:The formation of biofilm-electrodes is crucial for microbial fuel cell current production because optimal performance is often associated with thick biofilms. However, the influence of the electrode structure and morphology on biofilm formation is only beginning to be investigated. This study provides insight on how changing the electrode morphology affects current production of a pure culture of anode-respiring bacteria. Specifically, an analysis of the effects of carbon fiber electrodes with drastically different morphologies on biofilm formation and anode respiration by a pure culture (Shewanella oneidensis MR-1) were examined. Results showed that carbon nanofiber mats had ~10 fold higher current than plain carbon microfiber paper and that the increase was not due to an increase in electrode surface area, conductivity, or the size of the constituent material. Cyclic voltammograms reveal that electron transfer from the carbon nanofiber mats was biofilm-based suggesting that decreasing the diameter of the constituent carbon material from a few microns to a few
OPEN ACCESSEnergies 2015, 8 1818 hundred nanometers is beneficial for electricity production solely because the electrode surface creates a more relevant mesh for biofilm formation by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1.
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