Hydrothermal Syntheses of NiO−GO Nanocomposite on 3D Nickel Foam as a Support for Pt Nanoparticles and its Superior Electrocatalytic Activity towards Methanol Oxidation

A high-performance Pt-based catalyst for the methanol oxidation reaction: effect of electrodeposition mode and cocatalyst on electrocatalytic activity

The influence of supporting material, cocatalyst, and electrodeposition mode on MOR activity.

An enzyme-free electrochemiluminescence insulin probe based on the regular attachment of ZnO nanoparticles on a 3-D nickel foam and H2O2 as an efficient co-reactant

In this study, a highly sensitive, fast, and enzyme-free electrochemiluminescence (ECL) probe based on the decoration of zinc oxide nanoparticles on nickel foam is proposed for insulin determination. A silica film was employed as a size adjusting agent for the modification of the nickel foam surface with ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). The ECL of the ZnO NP/Ni foam was investigated in a natural medium in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as an efficient co-reactant. With increasing insulin concentration, a remarkable improvement in ECL signal was observed, which proved the enhancing effect of insulin on the ECL emission. The characterization of the ZnO-NP/Ni-foam electrode was performed via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurement, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis techniques. The fabricated electrode was applied for the trace analysis of insulin using the ultrasensitive ECL method in a phosphate buffer solution. Under the optimal conditions, the results showed excellent performance during insulin determination with a wide linear range of 3.57 × 10^-15 M to 2.94 × 10^-9 M, a low detection limit of 1.00 × 10^-16 M, and a relative standard deviation of 1.03%. The proposed ECL sensor with excellent reproducibility, long-term stability, and high selectivity was used for insulin determination in real serum samples with acceptable outcomes.

Recent Developments for the Application of 3D Structured Material Nickel Foam and Graphene Foam in Direct Liquid Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers

Platinum and platinum-based catalysts are some of the most effective catalysts used in fuel cells. However, electrocatalysts used for direct liquid fuel cells (DLFCs) and electrolyzers are high cost and suffer from several other problems, thus hindering their commercialization as power sources to produce clean energy. Common issues in electrocatalysts are low stability and durability, slow kinetics, catalyst poisoning, high catalyst loading, high cost of the catalytic materials, poisoning of the electrocatalysts, and formation of intermediate products during electrochemical reactions. The use of catalyst supports can enhance the catalytic activity and stability of the power sources. Thus, nickel foam and graphene foam with 3D structures have advantages over other catalyst supports. This paper presents the application of nickel foam and graphene foam as catalyst supports that enhance the activities, selectivity, efficiency, specific surface area, and exposure of the active sites of DLFCs. Selected recent studies on the use of foam in electrolyzers are also presented.

Effect of Pd on the Electrocatalytic Activity of Pt towards Oxidation of Ethanol in Alkaline Solutions

The understanding of electrocatalytic activity and poisoning resistance properties of Pt and Pd nanoparticles, recognized as the best electrocatalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction, is an essential step for the commercialization of direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs). In this paper, mono and bimetallic Pt and Pd nanoparticles with different atomic ratios have been synthesized to study their electrocatalytic properties for an ethanol oxidation reaction in alkaline solutions. The different nanoparticles were physiochemically characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The electrochemical characterization was performed by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry measurements. The electrochemical measurements indicate that Pt nanoparticles have much higher electrocatalytic activity for ethanol oxidation than Pd nanoparticles. The studies with bimetallic PtPd nanoparticles showed a significant impact of their composition on the ethanol oxidation. Thus, the highest electrocatalytic activity and poisoning resistance properties were obtained for Pt3Pd2 nanoparticles. Moreover, this study demonstrates that the poisoning of the catalyst surface through ethanol oxidation is related to the prevalence of the acetaldehyde–acetate route and the polymerization of acetaldehyde through aldol condensation in the alkaline media.

Improved electrocatalytic activity of Pt catalyst supported on core–shell CMs@NiO for methanol oxidation

The as-prepared Pt catalyst supported on core–shell CMs@NiO for the methanol oxidation with the extraordinary electrocatalytic performance and durability.