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Microbes As Proton Exchange Membranes In Microbial Fuel Cells, Andrew Timothy Stroud

Theses and Dissertations

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) use proton exchange membranes (PEMs) to deliver protons to the cathode for electricity production. MFCs have been limited to low power generation because of complex ionic media characteristic of MFCs using the conventional Nafion-based PEM with high attraction for the competing ions. Benthic microbial fuel cells (BMFCs) use the marine sediment between the anode, embedded in marine sediment, and cathode, overlying in water, as a PEM. BMFCs have been shown to generate high power densities representing high proton permeability by the marine sediment layer between the anode and cathode. However, there is limited knowledge about this …