Cu-Embedded N-Doped Carbon: A Highly Efficient Catalyst for Enhanced Microbial Fuel Cell Performance and Wastewater Treatment

As a means of addressing the growing challenges of environmental pollution and energy scarcity, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent a sustainable approach for wastewater treatment and energy generation. In the present study, a catalyst synthesized by compositing Cu-based multilayer nanosheets with hollow fibrous LZU1 (CL/NC) exhibited remarkable adsorptive and catalytic properties. It achieved a power density of 57.29 ± 0.69 W m–3 and maintained 90.05% of its initial power density after the substantial operational duration of 43,200 min. Notably, CL/NC-700 demonstrated an exceptional ability to degrade Rhodamine B, highlighting its significant potential in environmental remediation efforts. Its enhanced catalytic activity can be ascribed to the synergistic impact of N-doping and the hollow-fiber morphology of LZU1, which collectively optimize mass transfer and enrich the catalyst with active sites for the oxygen reduction reaction. Comparatively, CL/NC-700 demonstrated superior stability and efficiency over commercial platinum-based catalyst, underscoring its viability as a scalable alternative for MFC applications and environmental remediation.