Synthesis and application of carbon-based nanomaterials for bioelectrochemical systems

The global economy is based on the source of the energy supply. During the past few decades, the consumption of fossil fuel as the main power resource motivated scientists to substitute it with renewable resources. The increasing discovery of new materials in diverse industries has faced scholars with serious environmental issues. To overcome these challenges, developing novel materials and technologies seems necessary. Owing to various privileges (such as high monolayer surface area, electrical conductivity, thermal resistance) compared to other materials, the synthesis of carbon-based nanomaterials (NM; e.g., graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, etc.) has come a long way. In this chapter, a brief description of the properties and synthesis of nanostructured graphene by bottom-up and top-down approaches is provided. Thereafter the main principles of bioelectrochemical systems (e.g., microbial fuel cells, microbial electrolysis cells), the logic behind of electrode material selection (e.g., graphene-based nanomaterials in both cathodic and anodic electrode side), and its application in valuable-added chemical production (hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide generation, in biomedical fields, nanobubble formation, wastewater treatment, and (bio)electrochemical processes) are discussed in detail.