Phenolic carbon felt (PCF) is a three-dimensional material with a simple manufacturing process and low cost. To investigate the application of PCF as an anode material for use in microbial fuel cells (MFCs), we employed PCF as the anode material for the first time in MFCs that were carbonized at different temperatures. The relationship between the intrinsic characteristics and the electrochemical performance of different PCFs was also analyzed. Here, we obtained the best power generation with a power density of up to 2600 mW/m² when PCF was heated to 900 °C (PCF-900); this power generation was much higher than that of the commercial carbon felts. From SEM images, we found that the biofilm growth of PCF-900 was quite uniform. This may result from the higher surface electropositivity of PCF-900 and increased electrostatic attraction between the microorganisms and PCF. We also analyzed the conductivity, specific surface area, functional groups, and surface charge of the PCF anode. Under the synergistic effect of these intrinsic properties, PCF-900 showed good biocompatibility for the adhesion of microorganisms and high electron transfer efficiency. In addition, PCF was easily prepared in different sizes. Thus, it could be a promising material for the application of scale-up MFCs.

酚醛碳毡（PCF）是一种三维材料，制造工艺简单且成本低廉。为了研究PCF作为用于微生物燃料电池（MFCs）的阳极材料的应用，我们首次在不同温度下碳化的MFCs中将PCF用作阳极材料。还分析了不同PCF的固有特性与电化学性能之间的关系。在这里，我们获得了功率密度高达2600 mW / m ²的最佳发电当PCF加热到900°C（PCF-900）时; 这种发电量远远高于商业碳毡。从SEM图像，我们发现PCF-900的生物膜生长非常均匀。这可能是由于PCF-900的较高的表面正电性以及微生物与PCF之间的静电吸引增加所致。我们还分析了PCF阳极的电导率，比表面积，官能团和表面电荷。在这些固有特性的协同作用下，PCF-900对微生物的粘附和电子转移效率显示出良好的生物相容性。另外，PCF易于制备成不同尺寸。因此，对于放大的MFC应用而言，它可能是有前途的材料。