Fabrication of Bacteria-imprinted Polymer Coated Electrodes for Microbial Fuel Cells

The feasibility of using microorganisms for electrical power generation has received considerable interest recently, owing to the environmental concerns regarding fossil fuels and carbon emissions. Bacteria have a high growth rate during cultivation, making them promising for use in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Using cell-imprinted polymers (CIPs) to enhance microbial binding to the anode is a promising approach; furthermore, elucidating both the synthesis techniques and recognition capabilities of cell-imprinted polymers is also a priority concern in biotechnology. In this work, the anode of a microbial fuel cell was prepared using microcontact imprinting of a cast polymer film. Experimental results indicate that the imprinting polymer solution concentration correlates with the adsorption of bacteria to the finished film. The morphologies of the imprinted cavities, and the distribution of Rhodobacter sphaeroide on the Rhodobacter sphaeroide-imprinted polymers (RsIPs) was monitored by scanning electron microscopy. Finally, the bacteria-imprinted polymer-coated electrode was used as the anode in a microbial fuel cell to test the performance. The higher output found is likely caused by an increased contact area of bacteria with the anode, increasing electron transfer through a respiratory enzyme.