In this study we demonstrate Sulphonated Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (S-POSS) incorporated Sulphonated Poly Ether Ether Ketone (SPEEK) as an effective cation exchange membrane (CEM) for improving performance and sustainability in a fabricated tubular Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC). The organic-inorganic caged frame of S-POSS enables several ion conducting channels thereby resulting in better proton conductivity and water uptake in addition to hydroxide ions native in POSS. Among the membranes, SPEEK+ 5 wt% S-POSS exhibits a highest maximum performance of 162 ± 1.4 mW m⁻² with the highest IEC of 1.8 ± 0.05 meq g⁻¹. Microbial community analysis reveals the predominance of several bacterial strains contributing to wide range of mechanisms. Three phyla including Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Firmicutes showed maximum predominance. In addition to a novel nanocomposite membrane, the present research introduces perceptions of two metabolic mechanisms of the microbial community available which opens pathway for future insights on how other miniatures involve in electron transfer mechanisms.

在这项研究中，我们证明了掺入磺化聚醚醚酮（SPEEK）的磺化多面体低聚倍半硅氧烷（S-POSS）作为有效的阳离子交换膜（CEM），可改善制造的管状微生物燃料电池（MFC）的性能和可持续性。S-POSS的有机-无机笼状框架可实现多个离子传导通道，从而除POSS中固有的氢氧根离子外，还具有更好的质子传导性和水吸收性。在这些膜中，SPEEK + 5 wt％S-POSS表现出最高的最大性能162±1.4 mW m ^-2，而最高的IEC则为1.8±0.05 meq g ^-1。微生物群落分析揭示了导致多种机制的几种细菌菌株的优势。三个门包括β变形杆菌，γ变形杆菌和Firmicutes表现出最大优势。除了新型的纳米复合膜，本研究还介绍了对可用微生物群落的两种代谢机制的看法，这为进一步了解其他微结构如何参与电子转移机制打开了途径。