Investigation of electrocatalytic behavior of different coated nickel morphologies in urea electrooxidation reaction
Keywords: Electrodeposition, Urea fuel cell, Urea electrooxidation, Nickel electrocatalyst,
Abstract :
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Abstract Introduction: Releasing untreated urea-rich wastewater causes a severe threat to environmental protection and human health. In this regard, the electrooxidation technique offers an effective method for wastewater purification and electrical energy generation. Material selection and design for electrocatalysts are the most important approaches toward boosting the kinetics of this reaction. In this article, the effect of various nickel morphologies on the urea electrooxidation reaction was investigated.Methods: Different nickel coatings were deposited using the electrodeposition method in the presence of different additive concentrations. The microstructural studies, surface roughness measurement, and electrocatalytic behavior investigations were done by SEM, roughness instrument, and electrochemical tests in the alkaline media in the presence of 0.33 M urea, respectively. Findings: The SEM images revealed the different morphologies from vertical plate-like morphology to rough colony features and finally to branched-like structure. Increasing additive concentration led to a higher surface roughness value. Moreover, the effect of morphology on electrocatalytic behavior verified that three-dimensional branched-like morphology (due to adding 240 g/L of additive) showed the highest current density of 59.19 mA/cm2. The branched-like morphology of the coating showed a good electrocatalytic ability at higher concentrations of urea up to 2 M. Moreover, this coating exhibited significant electrostatic stability through long-term monitoring. Conclusion: The results verified that the morphological changes and electrocatalytic behavior were affected by the additive concentration. The best result of electrocatalytic kinetics was related to the existence of 240 g/L additive in the electrodeposition electrolyte. |
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