Shift of voltage reversal in stacked microbial fuel cells

We proved that sluggish kinetics on the cathode and the imbalance of cathode kinetics cause voltage reversal in a stacked microbial fuel cell (MFC) equipped with a non-Pt cathode. Catholyte aeration to a unit MFC against passive air diffusion to the cathode in the other unit MFC shifted voltage reversal between the two units, due to improved mass transport and O₂ concentration effects in the aerated MFC. The shifted voltage reversal returned to an original status when catholyte aeration was stopped. A Pt-coated cathode increased the rate of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by a factor of ∼20, as compared to the non-Pt cathode. As a result, the anodic reaction rate that became slower than the rate on the Pt-cathode limited current density to overpotential in the stacked MFC equipped with the Pt-cathode. This work shows that dominant kinetic bottlenecks, which are the primary cause of voltage reversal, can be shifted between individual MFCs of stacked MFCs or electrodes depending on relative kinetics.