Self-assembly of cell-embedding reduced graphene oxide/ polypyrrole hydrogel as efficient anode for high-performance microbial fuel cell.

A three-dimensional (3D) macroporous reduced graphene oxide/polypyrrole (rGO/Ppy) hydrogel assembled by bacterial cells was fabricated and applied for microbial fuel cells. By taking the advantage of electroactive cell-induced bioreduction of graphene oxide and in-situ polymerization of Ppy, a facile self-assembly by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1and in-situ polymerization approach for 3D rGO/Ppy hydrogel preparation was developed. This facile one-step self-assembly process enabled the embedding of living electroactive cells inside the hydrogel electrode, which showed an interconnected 3D macroporous structures with high conductivity and biocompatibility.

Stimuli-responsive cellulose nanomaterials for smart applications.

Stimuli-responsive cellulose nanomaterials (CNMs), which change their physicochemical properties in response to specific stimuli have recently been in the spotlight. A great deal of effort has been dedicated to developing stimuli-responsive CNMs in the past two decades. However, the majority of stimuli-responsive CNMs were achieved via the introduction of stimuli-responsive moieties rather than taking advantage of their inherent switchable hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions, and molecular polarization in CNMs.

Vertical alignment of polyaniline nanofibers on electrode surface for high-performance microbial fuel cells.

Electrode modifications with conductive and nanostructured polyaniline (PANI) were recognized as efficient approach to improve interaction between electrode surface and electrogenic bacteria for boosting the performance of microbial fuel cell (MFC). However, it still showed undesirable performance because of the challenge to control the orientation (such as vertical alignment) of PANI nanostructure for extracellular electron transfer (EET). In this work, vertically aligned polyaniline (VA-PANI) on carbon cloth electrode surface were prepared by in-situ polymerization method (simply tuning the ratio of tartaric acid (TA) dopant).