Patent ID: 8241798

Claim:
A microbial fuel cell, comprising: an anode material comprising a microbial biofilm grown on a three-dimensional ordered open-cellular microstructure; an anode compartment housing the anode material; a cathode material; a cathode compartment housing the cathode material; and a cation exchange membrane between the anode material and the cathode material, wherein microbes of the microbial biofilm metabolize nutrients to generate electricity of the anode material, and wherein the three-dimensional ordered open-cellular microstructure comprises: a plurality of first truss elements defined by a plurality of first self-propagating polymer waveguides and extending along a first direction; a plurality of second truss elements defined by a plurality of second self-propagating polymer waveguides and extending along a second direction; and a plurality of third truss elements defined by a plurality of third self-propagating polymer waveguides and extending along a third direction, wherein the first, second, and third ordered truss elements interpenetrate each other at a plurality of nodes to form a continuous material.