Enhanced ethylene glycol oxidation in membraneless fuel cells: Comparative analysis of nickel alloy nanocatalysts

In a two-step reduction process, Ni-based alloy nanocatalysts (Ni-ANCs) made of nickel-iron-cobalt with a carbon support (Ni-Fe-Co/C) were produced in various molar proportions. A comprehensive structural characterization of the morphology and composition of Ni-ANCs was evaluated using XRD, TEM and EDX analyses. The XRD results from Ni-ANCs indicated a diffraction pattern that was caused by only one face-centered cubic (FCC) phase, indicating that the ternary metals Instead of a phase-separated structure, a well-mixed solid solution structure was created. TEM images showed that Ni-ANCs have a particle size of between 13 and 30 nm uniform dispersivity on the carbon support. At the same time, the electrochemical activities of Ni-ANCs were evaluated by means of CV, LSV and CA investigate for the Induction of electrooxidation in ethylene glycol at room temperature. Experimental results reveal that Ni60Co40/C and Ni60Fe30Co10/C are substantially more potent than Ni60Fe40/C and Ni100/C respectively, when using Co-containing alloy nanocatalysts. Specifically, the ternary Ni60Fe30Co10/C catalyst has a higher electrochemical activity than its binary counterpart, which can be attributed to the conductivity and deformation effects. This is noteworthy because it demonstrates that Co accelerates the oxidation of Ni to a more active NiOOH at a lower overpotential level, enabling otherwise inactive Fe sites within the Ni (OH)2 phase to become active.