The performance of oxygen reduction catalysts (platinum, pyrolyzed iron(ll) phthalocyanine (pyr-FePc) and cobalt tetramethoxyphenylporphyrin (pyr-CoTMPP)) is discussed in light of their application in microbial fuel cells. It is demonstrated that the physical and chemical environment in microbial fuel cells severely affects the thermodynamics and the kinetics of the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction. The neutral pH in combination with low buffer capacities and low ionic concentrations strongly affect the cathode performance and limit the fuel cell power output. Thus, the limiting current density in galvanodyanamic polarization experiments decreases from 1.5 mA cm(-2) to 0.6 mA cm(-2) (pH 3.3, E(cathode) = 0 V) when the buffer concentration is decreased from 500 to 50 mM. The cathode limitations are superposed by the increasing internal resistance of the MFC that substantially contributes to the decrease of power output. For example, the maximum power output of a model MFC decreased by 35%, from 2.3 to 1.5 mW, whereas the difference between the electrode potentials (deltaE = E(anode) - E(cathode)) decreased only by 10%. The increase of the catalyst load of pyr-FePc from 0.25 to 2 mg cm(-2) increased the cathodic current density from 0.4 to 0.97 mA cm(-2) (pH 7, 50 mM phosphate buffer). The increase of the load of such inexpensive catalyst thus represents a suitable means to improve the cathode performance in microbial fuel cells. Due to the low concentration of protons in MFCs in comparison to relatively high alkali cation levels (ratio C(Na+,K+)/C(H+) = 5 x E5 in pH 7, 50 mM phosphate buffer) the transfer of alkali ions through the proton exchange membrane plays a major role in the charge-balancing ion flux from the anodic into the cathodic compartment. This leads to the formation of pH gradients between the anode and the cathode compartment.
Ever‐ready microbes: A microbial fuel cell (depicted) that continuously generates a current output more than one order of magnitude greater than known microbial fuel cells (up to 1.5 mA cm−2) is reported. The novel fuel cell concept uses polymer‐modified catalytically active anodes that shuttle electrons from the bacterial suspension to the anode.
The first report of the formal potentials of a series of solid metal hexacyanometalates (M+)nM′[M″ (CN)6] is given (M+ = Li+, K+, Na+, Rb+, Cs+; M′ = Ag, Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, In, Mn, Ni, Pb; M″ = Cr, Fe, Mn). A linear correlation exists between the ionic potential Φ = z/reff of the nitrogen‐bonded M′ ions and the formal potentials of the hexacyanometalate ions. This results from increased π back bonding when the acid–base interaction between the nitrogen atom of the cyanide ions and the M′ ions is stronger.
The topic of the review is the electrochemical analysis of solids aimed to identify or determine their phase or elemental composition, analyse the composition of solid mixtures, characterise their electrochemistry-related properties and analyse the redox state of the constituent elements. The ways of the electrode preparation are discussed with a special attention paid to compact and composite electrodes including carbon-paste electrodes, and direct immobilisation of powders on a working electrode. Examples are given of simultaneous electrochemical measurements combined with X-ray diffraction, optical or atomic force microscopy, and mass measurement by quartz microbalance. The state-of-art of voltammetric analysis of inorganic and organic solids achieved in the last two decades is systematically reviewed with the aim to find cases, when electrochemistry can compete successfully with other analytical techniques as for sensitivity, specificity, and sample consumption. Electrochemical methods are shown to be a perspective tool for redox analysis of catalysts, combined elemental and phase analysis of inorganic pigments and minerals, characterisation of solid solutions, metalloorganic and organic solids. A review with 196 references.
Hardcover
Electrochemistry of Immobilized Particles and Droplets▶ There are no competing books on the market because the subject is new ▶ The necessary theoretical background as well as detailed information on the experiments is providedImmobilizing particles or droplets on electrodes is a novel and most powerful technique for studying the electrochemical reactions of three-phase systems. It gives access to a wealth of information, ranging from quantitative and phase analysis to thermodynamic and kinetic data of electrode processes. Three-phase electrodes with immobilized droplets provide information on the electrochemistry of redox liquids and of compounds dissolved in inert organic liquids. Such measurements allow the determination of the Gibbs energies of the transfer of cations and anions between immiscible solvents, and thus make it possible to assess the hydrophobicity of ions -a property that is of great importance for pharmaceutical applications, biological studies, and for many fields of chemistry. The monograph gives, for the first time, a comprehensive overview of the results published in more than 300 papers over the last 15 years. The experiments are explained in detail, applications from many different fields are presented, and the theoretical basis of the systems is outlined.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.