Candle Soot as a Novel Support for Nickel Nanoparticles in the Electrocatalytic Ethanol Oxidation

Abstract

The enhancement of carbon-supported components is a crucial factor in augmenting the interplay between carbon-supported and metal-active components in the utilization of catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs). Here, we propose a strategy for designing a catalyst by modifying candle soot (CS) and loading nickel onto ordered carbon soot. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of the Ni nanoparticles content on the electrocatalytic performance of Ni–CS, ultimately leading to the identification of a maximum composition. The presence of an excessive quantity of nickel particles leads to a decrease in the number of active sites within the material, resulting in sluggishness of the electron transfer pathway. The electrocatalyst composed of nickel and carbon support, with a nickel content of 20 wt%, has demonstrated a noteworthy current activity of 18.43 mA/cm2, which is three times that of the electrocatalyst with a higher nickel content of 25 wt%. For example, the 20 wt% Ni–CS electrocatalytic activity was found to be good, and it was approximately four times higher than that of 20 wt% Ni–CB (nickel–carbon black). Moreover, the chronoamperometry (CA) test demonstrated a reduction in current activity of merely 65.80% for a 20 wt% Ni–CS electrocatalyst, indicating electrochemical stability. In addition, this demonstrates the great potential of candle soot with Ni nanoparticles to be used as a catalyst in practical applications.