In recent years novel applications of bioelectrochemical systems are exemplified by phototrophic biocathodes, biocompatible enzymatic fuel cells and biodegradable microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Herein, transparent silk fibroin membranes (SFM) with various fibroin content (2%, 4% and 8%) were synthesised and employed as separators in MFCs and compared with standard cation exchange membranes (CEM) as a control. The highest real-time power performance of thin-film SFM was reached by 2%-SFM separators: 25.7 ± 7.4 μW, which corresponds to 68% of the performance of the CEM separators (37.7 ± 3.1 μW). Similarly, 2%-SFM revealed the highest coulombic efficiency of 6.65 ± 1.90%, 74% of the CEM efficiency. Current for 2%-SFM reached 0.25 ± 0.03 mA (86% of CEM control). Decrease of power output was observed after 23 days for 8% and 4% and was a consequence of deterioration of SFMs, determined by physical, chemical and biological studies. This is the first time that economical and transparent silk fibroin polymers were successfully employed in MFCs.

近年来，光化学生物阴极，生物相容性酶燃料电池和生物可降解微生物燃料电池（MFCs）体现了生物电化学系统的新型应用。本文中，合成了具有多种纤维蛋白含量（2％，4％和8％）的透明丝素蛋白膜（SFM），并将其用作MFC中的隔板，并与标准阳离子交换膜（CEM）进行了比较。2％-SFM分离器达到了薄膜SFM的最高实时功率性能：25.7±7.4μW，相当于CEM分离器性能（37.7±3.1μW）的68％。同样，2％-SFM显示库仑效率最高，为6.65±1.90％，是CEM效率的74％。2％-SFM的电流达到0.25±0.03 mA（CEM控制的86％）。23天后观察到功率输出分别下降了8％和4％，这是通过物理，化学和生物学研究确定的SFM劣化的结果。这是经济，透明的丝素蛋白聚合物首次成功用于MFC中。