Synthesis and characterization of Pt, Pt–Fe/TiO2 cathode catalysts and its evaluation in microbial fuel cell

In this present study TiO2 supported metal catalysts (Pt/TiO2, Pt–Fe/TiO2) were prepared by liquid phase photo deposition method. The prepared catalysts were characterized electrochemically. X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) results showed the presence of metal particle deposition on TiO2. HR-SEM and TEM results confirmed the nano size of the metal particles and their uniform dispersion on the surface of TiO2. Electrochemical methods such as cyclic Voltammetry, linear sweep Voltammetry were used to study the stability and oxygen reduction properties of the synthesized TiO2 supported metal catalysts. The prepared catalysts were tested in Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell (SCMFC) with Escherichia coli of type DH5-α as bacterium. The power densities of Pt/TiO2 and Pt–Fe/TiO2 (110.5 and 136.8 mW/m2) were found to be higher compared to that of Pt/C (77 mW/m2) in MFC operation. The results visualized the better electro catalytic property for oxygen reduction in cathodic part of microbial fuel cell.