Microwave-assisted synthesis of nickel-copper nanocomposite for methanol electrocatalytic oxidation. An efficient anode material for alcohol fuel cell applications
Subject Areas :محمد علی کامیابی 1 , Babak Jalilian 2
1 - دانشیار شیمی تجزیه، گروه شیمی، دانشگاه زنجان، تهران، ایران
2 - University of Zanjan
Keywords: Fuel Cell, Microwave radiation, Electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol, Conductive polymer, Melamine,
Abstract :
In this study, the synthesis and application of bimetallic nickel-copper nanocomposites and reduction of graphene oxide simultaneously using microwaves are reported. The proposed synthesis method is a simple, fast and controllable process. The electrochemical behavior of the synthesized catalyst was investigated for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in alkaline medium. The effect of melamine on the electrocatalytic activity of the synthesized catalyst was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods. Also, investigating the effect of melamine as a source of nitrogen leading to nitrogen doping in the reduced graphene oxide network showed that it partially leads to the formation of NiCu-N structures. And this metal-N bond increases the catalytic activity towards MOR. The promoting effect of melamine was proved by an increase of 203 μA in the current and a decrease of 20 mV in the onset potential compared to other synthesized control catalysts during MOR activity. The results indicate the excellent performance of the synthesized catalyst as an anode in a direct methanol fuel cell.
