Oxygen-deficient TiO2 decorated carbon paper as advanced anodes for microbial fuel cells

A free-standing oxygen-deficient hydrogenated TiO2 nanorod arrays decorated carbon paper (CP) electrode (TiO2-x NRAs/CP) is fabricated by a facile thermal reduction approach and developed as a robust anode for microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The oriented 3D nanostructure provides a fast electron transportation pathway for the electron transfer and large accessible areas for bacterial colonization. Also, the introduction of oxygen defects into TiO2 can further enhance its bio- and electrochemical activity as well as biocompatibility. Consequently, the MFCs with TiO2-x NRAs/CP as anode delivers a maximum power density of 2576.3±33 mW m−2, which is much larger than the MFCs with pristine TiO2 NRAs/CP and CP anode. This work demonstrates the first use of oxygen-deficient TiO2 NRAs/CP as an advanced anode for MFCs and provides a new path for performance improvement for metallic oxide anode MFCs.