Low-coordinated cobalt arrays for efficient hydrazine electrooxidation

Exploring advanced electrocatalysts for the hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) could expedite the applications of direct hydrazine fuel cells (DHzFCs) for zero-carbon economics. Herein, we report a remarkable HzOR electrocatalyst based on low-coordinated Co arrays supported on Cu foam (p-Co/CF). Th...

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Published in:Energy & environmental science 2022-08, Vol.15 (8), p.3246-3256
Main Authors: Liu, Qian, Liao, Xiaobin, Tang, Yuanhao, Wang, Jianghao, Lv, Xiangzhou, Pan, Xuelei, Lu, Ruihu, Zhao, Yan, Yu, Xin-Yao, Wu, Hao Bin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ambient temperature
Arrays
Atomic properties
Catalysts
Catalytic activity
Cobalt
Copper
Density functional theory
Electrocatalysts
Electrolytic cells
Fuel cells
Fuel technology
Hydrazine
Hydrazines
Metal foams
Noble metals
Open circuit voltage
Oxidation
Spacecraft
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Summary:Exploring advanced electrocatalysts for the hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) could expedite the applications of direct hydrazine fuel cells (DHzFCs) for zero-carbon economics. Herein, we report a remarkable HzOR electrocatalyst based on low-coordinated Co arrays supported on Cu foam (p-Co/CF). The low-coordinated Co arrays were synthesized by the reduction of the Co(OH)F precursor with H 2 plasma to induce numerous few-atom vacancies, producing low-coordinated surface Co atoms as catalytic active sites. The as-prepared p-Co/CF electrode exhibits a low onset potential of −0.15 V ( vs. RHE) and a small Tafel slope of 8.83 mV dec −1 in 0.05 M N 2 H 4 /1 M KOH electrolyte, which are superior to those of most reported electrocatalysts toward the HzOR. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been employed to elucidate the HzOR process on metallic Co catalysts, suggesting that the improved catalytic activity would be attributed to the weakened adsorption of N 2 H 3 * on low-coordinated Co sites. Benefited by the superior catalytic activity of p-Co/CF, a prototype DHzFC has been demonstrated to deliver a high open circuit voltage of 1.1 V and a maximal power density of 186 mW cm −2 at ambient temperatures. This work provides guidance for designing high-performance non-noble metal electrocatalysts toward viable direct hydrazine fuel cells. Exploring advanced electrocatalysts for the hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) could expedite the applications of direct hydrazine fuel cells (DHzFCs) for zero-carbon economics.
ISSN:1754-5692
1754-5706
DOI:10.1039/d2ee01463g