Mesoporous silica template-derived nickel-cobalt bimetallic catalyst for urea oxidation and its application in a direct urea/H2O2 fuel cell

Ni-based catalysts are considered as an efficient anode material for urea fuel cells due to the low cost and high activity in alkaline media. Herein, we demonstrate that Ni-Co bimetallic hydroxide particles with highly porous nanostructures can be synthesized using mesoporous silica nanoparticles as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of hydrogen energy 2020-01, Vol.45 (3), p.1784-1792
Main Authors: Tran, Manh Hoang, Park, Bang Ju, Kim, Bo Hyeon, Yoon, Hyon Hee
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Electro-catalyst
Mesoporous silica template
Ni-Co bimetal hydroxide
Urea fuel cell
Urea oxidation
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Summary:Ni-based catalysts are considered as an efficient anode material for urea fuel cells due to the low cost and high activity in alkaline media. Herein, we demonstrate that Ni-Co bimetallic hydroxide particles with highly porous nanostructures can be synthesized using mesoporous silica nanoparticles as templates. The replicated nanostructures of the Ni-Co hydroxide samples from the mesoporous silica templates are observed. The porous Ni0.8Co0.2(OH)2 particles exhibited considerably enhanced electro-catalytic activity for urea oxidation reaction by providing a high surface area and fast mass transport for urea oxidation reaction. It is also found that the Co-doping at 20% significantly reduce the overpotential and increase the peak current of urea oxidation reaction. A direct urea/H2O2 fuel cell with the porous Ni0.8Co0.2(OH)2 as anode material shows an excellent performance with maximum power densities of 11.2 and 25.6 mW cm−2 at 20 °C and 70 °C with 0.5 M urea in 5 M KOH, respectively. Thus, this work suggests that the highly porous Ni0.8Co0.2(OH)2-derived from the mesoporous silica templates can be used for urea oxidation and as an efficient anode material for urea-based fuel cells. [Display omitted] •Highly porous nanostructured Ni-Co hydroxide was synthesized using silica as template.•The Ni-Co hydroxide exhibited a mesoporous structure with a high specific surface area.•The Ni-Co hydroxide featured excellent electro-catalytic activity for urea oxidation.•A urea fuel cell with Ni-Co hydroxide exhibited a maximum power density of 25.6 mW cm−2 at 70 °C.
ISSN:0360-3199
DOI:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2019.11.073