Dye decolorization and energy recovery of photocatalytic fuel cell subjected to optimization of supporting electrolyte concentration and external resistance

Abstract The concentrations of supporting electrolyte and external resistance (Rext) played crucial roles to improve photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) efficiency. Herein, the significant influence of Na2SO4 concentration (0.05–0.20 M) and the Rext (100, 280, 500, 1000 and 10,000 Ω) on the power production and dye decolorization in PFC were addressed. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the further increment of 0.10 M of Na2SO4 concentration only enhanced maximum power density (Pmax) but had no significant effect on the dye decolorization (P > 0.05). Conversely, the result showed distinct differences in PFC performances under different Rext (P