Abstract: Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a new technology that simultaneously treats wastewater and converts its chemical energy into electrical energy using bacteria as catalyst. Research progress of anode/cathode materials and catalysts for MFCs were reviewed. Methods of improving MFCs performance were discussed，such as using nano-materials to improve the surface area of electrodes，making composite materials to combine the advantages of different materials to overcome the shortage of single materials. Prospects of faster commercial use of MFCs were discussed，for example，coupling with other techniques.

Key words: microbial fuel cell, anode, cathode, catalysts

摘要： 微生物燃料电池（microbial fuel cell，MFC），是一种同步废水处理与产能的新技术——以微生物为催化剂降解废水中的有机物，将其中的化学能转化为电能。本文介绍了微生物燃料电池阳极和阴极材料以及电极催化剂的最新研究进展，讨论了提高微生物燃料电池性能的方法，即通过使用纳米材料修饰电极来提高微生物及催化剂的吸附面积、结合不同材料的优点制作复合材料做催化剂来克服单一材料的不足之处，以期研究和开发出高性能的微生物燃料电池；指出微生物燃料电池的应用前景是将微生物燃料电池与其它技术相耦合来提前实现它的实际应用。

关键词: 微生物燃料电池, 阳极, 阴极, 催化剂