A superior mulberry-like nanoparticle NiB binary catalyst for borohydride oxidation

A NiB binary catalyst with a unique mulberry-like nanoparticle morphology has been prepared by one-step electrodeposition. The NiB-0.2 catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability for the borohydride oxidation reaction. Moreover, a direct borohydride fuel cell using the NiB-0.2 catalyst anode can deliver a peak power density of 453 mW cm-2 and open-circuit voltage of 1.96 V at 343 K. The improved performances are due to the introduction of B. This study may inspire the development of efficient noble-metal-free anode catalysts for DBFCs.

Non-covalent functionalization of triazine framework decorated over reduced graphene oxide as a novel anode catalyst support for glycerol oxidation

The electrocatalytic performance of platinum-gold(Pt-Au) nanoparticles decorated non-covalent functionalization of triazine framework derived from poly(cyanuric chloride-co-biphenyl) over reduced graphene oxide (Poly(CC-co-BP)-RGO) was carried out for glycerol in basic medium and their oxidized products were analysed to support the enhanced activity. The surface morphology and the composition of the catalyst were obtained using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The electrooxidation results illustrate that the Pt-Au/Poly(CC-co-BP)-RGO catalyst exhibits improved catalytic activity and stability when compared to that of Pt/Poly(CC-co-BP)-RGO, Pt/Poly(CC-co-BP) and Pt/RGO catalysts. The better performed Pt-Au/Poly(CC-co-BP)-RGO catalyst was used as electrode material for the fabrication of single test direct alkaline glycerol fuel cell. The fuel cell performance was tested by varying the concentration of glycerol and the temperature of the cell. The maximum power density of 122.96 mWcm^-2 was obtained for Pt-Au/Poly(CC-co-BP)-RGO catalyst in single direct alkaline glycerol fuel cell under the optimum concentration of 2.0 M glycerol at 70 °C.