Green synthesis of reduced graphene oxide by using tropical microalgae and its application in biophotovoltaic devices
Jing-Ye Tee,
Fong-Lee Ng,
Fiona Seh-Lin Keng,
Choon-Weng Lee,
Bingqing Zhang,
Shiwei Lin,
G. Gnana kumar,
Siew-Moi Phang
Affiliations
Jing-Ye Tee
Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Fong-Lee Ng
Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; School of Biosciences, Taylor’s University, Lakeside Campus, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Corresponding author
Fiona Seh-Lin Keng
Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Choon-Weng Lee
Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Bingqing Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Shiwei Lin
State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
G. Gnana kumar
Department of Physical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, Tamil Nadu, India; Corresponding author
Siew-Moi Phang
Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, Jalan Puncak Menara Gading, Taman Connaught, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia; Corresponding author
Summary: The successful commercialization of algal biophotovoltaics (BPV) technology hinges upon a multifaceted approach, encompassing factors such as the development of a cost-efficient and highly conductive anode material. To address this issue, we developed an environmentally benign method of producing reduced graphene oxide (rGO), using concentrated Chlorella sp. UMACC 313 suspensions as the reducing agent. The produced rGO was subsequently coated on the carbon paper (rGO-CP) and used as the BPV device’s anode. As a result, maximum power density was increased by 950% for Chlorella sp. UMACC 258 (0.210 mW m−2) and 781% for Synechococcus sp. UMACC 371 (0.555 mW m−2) compared to bare CP. The improved microalgae adhesion to the anode and improved electrical conductivity of rGO brought on by the effective removal of oxygen functional groups may be the causes of this. This study has demonstrated how microalgal-reduced GO may improve the efficiency of algal BPV for producing bioelectricity.
