Preparation of Iron-based Nanoparticle-modified Carbon Cloth Composites and Their Application in Microbial Fuel Cells Anodes

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) offer a potential solution for sustainable electricity generation by directly converting organic matter in wastewater into electrical energy. However, MFCs face challenges in practical applications, such as low bacterial loading capacity and relatively poor efficiency of extracellular electron transfer (EET) between the anode and the electrochemically active biofilm. In this study, a green and efficient microwaveassisted method combined with high - temperature annealing was successfully employed to prepare iron - based nanoparticle - modified carbon cloth (Fe 3 C/Fe@CC). This composite material exhibited excellent biocompatibility and electrocatalytic activity. When used as an anode material for MFCs, the Fe 3 C/Fe@CC - based MFCs demonstrated superior performance, achieving a power density of 2209 mW/m 2 , which was a 17 % increase compared to MFCs with pure carbon cloth anodes (1933 mW/m 2 ). This enhancement was primarily attributed to the effective improvement in EET efficiency between the microbes and the electrode, the increased electrochemically active surface area, and the promotion of the enrichment of the exoelectrogen Geobacter . This study utilized microwave assistance and high - temperature annealing to achieve rapid preparation of highly conductive composite anodes, providing a universal method for the large - scale production of anodes for MFCs.