The open circuit potential of Geobacter sulfurreducens bioanodes depends on the electrochemical adaptation of the strain

Laurence Soussan (1, 2) , Benjamin Erable (1) , Marie-Line Délia-Dupuy (1) , Alain Bergel (1)

1 LGC - Laboratoire de Génie Chimique
2 IEM - Institut Européen des membranes

Bioanodes for acetate oxidation were formed with pure cultures of Geobacter sulfurreducens under constant polarization potential. With the original commercial strain, the bioanodes formed at + 0.2 V/SCE exhibited open circuit potential (OCP) of 0.0 V/SCE, while the bioanodes formed at − 0.2 V/SCE had OCP around − 0.52 V/SCE. In contrast, the bioanodes formed with bacterial cells collected from a previous current-producing bioanode exhibited OCP of − 0.52 V/SCE whatever the polarization potential used to form them (+ 0.2 V/SCE or − 0.2 V/SCE). The "electrochemically-adapted strain" kept its electrochemical characteristics after successive cultures in solution. High steady-state currents were reached (16-19 A m- 2) in all cases without any dependence on strain adaptation or applied potential.

Mots clés: Geobacter sulfurreducens; Microbial anode; Polarization potential; OCP; Steady state current; Electrocatalytic properties

Domaines: Chimie théorique et/ou physique; Physique Atomique [physics.atom-ph]

Laurence Soussan, Benjamin Erable, Marie-Line Délia-Dupuy, Alain Bergel. The open circuit potential of Geobacter sulfurreducens bioanodes depends on the electrochemical adaptation of the strain. Electrochemistry Communications, 2013, vol. 33, pp. 35-38. ⟨10.1016/j.elecom.2013.04.013⟩. ⟨hal-00860257⟩