Voltage Reversal during Stacking Microbial Fuel Cells with or without Diodes

Neng Wu Zhu; Xi Chen; Li Xing Tu; Ping Xiao Wu; Zhi Dang

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.396-398.188

Paper Titles

Mongolia Residential Architectural Features and Construction of Eco-Tourism Development
p.166

Thermodynamic Analysis of Removing Phosphorus from High Phosphorus Oolitic Hematite
p.171

The Effects of Rolling Process on Microstructures of High Nb X70 Grade Pipeline Steel
p.177

Effects of Urea on the Formation of Perfume Compounds by Ascorbic Acid-Methionine Model Reaction
p.182

Voltage Reversal during Stacking Microbial Fuel Cells with or without Diodes
p.188

Determination of Manganese in Food Grade FeSO₄•7H₂O by Solid Phase Extraction and Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry
p.194

Electrical and Mechanical Technology Research of Fully Mechanized Coal Caving under Aquifer
p.198

A Novel Structure Having Linear Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) Chains with Rapid Response to Temperature Changes
p.205

CFD Modeling of the Fast Pyrolysis of Coal in Cold Flow Fluidized Bed
p.209

HomeAdvanced Materials ResearchAdvanced Materials Research Vols. 396-398Voltage Reversal during Stacking Microbial Fuel...

Voltage Reversal during Stacking Microbial Fuel Cells with or without Diodes

Abstract:

Stacking microbial fuel cells (MFCs) in series can provide higher voltage; however, voltage reversal (VR) adversely affects performance of the stacked MFCs. In this paper, diodes are introduced into three stacked MFCs so as to investigate the VR behavior and offer a diodes-based explanation of the VR. The results show that VR occurs in the different stacked MFCs systems. VR of the stacked MFCs connected with forward diodes (～0.37 V) happens in a similar pattern as that without diodes (～0.80 V). However, it only happens at the end of a cycle. This can be analyzed that the resistance of the diodes consume a part of the flowing electrons and the speed of potential changes of the electrodes slows down. Differently, in the stacked MFCs connected with reverse diodes, the voltages of each unit MFC approximately equal their open circuit voltages (～0.75 V), and VR happens in the unit MFC with reverse diodes at the cathode end only. It implies that the imbalanced consumption of electrons in unit MFCs and the potential changes of specific electrode directly result in VR.