Hydrothermal Synthesis of Non-noble Hybrid Cu₂S Decorated Nickel Foam and Its Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity for Direct Aluminum Fuel Cell Application

Abstract

Recycling of aluminum metal from scrap materials demands a high processing temperature, which releases several toxic gases to the environment. In contrast, aluminum metal is known as the cleanest and cheapest source for hydrogen production because of its 3 + oxidation state and spontaneous exothermic reaction with water molecules. In this work, we report the hydrothermal synthesis of hybrid Cu 2 S decorated on nickel foam (NF) for direct aluminum fuel cell application. The hybrid structure of the Cu 2 S nanoflake-and nanosphere-based catalyst distributed on the three-dimensional (3D) skeletal NF is revealed via detailed structural analysis. The Cu 2 S/NF-8 catalyst electrode exhibits a maximum mass activity of 106.7 mA/mg at an overpotential of 0.8 V (vs Hg/HgO) for a 40 mg Al source. The high mass activity of the optimized Cu 2 S/NF-8 catalyst electrode is attributed to the hybrid Cu 2 S structure, which facilitates improved electrocatalytic activity via its point defects and metallic edges. Likewise, the high electrical conductivity, chemical stability, and rapid charge transfer at the electrode with a short diffusion path are because of the arrangements of the hybrid Cu 2 S on the NF substrate. The stability and real-time performance of the Cu 2 S/NF-8 catalyst electrode is successfully studied via chronoamperometry in the presence of an Al ball and a scrap aluminum source. The electrode exhibits a capacity retention of ∼60% (for 7000 s; Al ball) and ∼35% (for 100000 s; scrap Al). This proves the Cu 2 S/NF-8 catalyst electrode as a promising platform for aluminum source-based fuel cell applications.

Urine Treatment in a Stacked Membraneless Direct Urea Fuel Cell with Honeycomb-like Nickel–Molybdenum Bimetal Phosphide as the Anodic Electrocatalyst

“…46 The honeycomb-like structure of the MoNiP/NF-0.50 catalyst was helpful for increasing the surface area, creating multiple contact points and enhancing the UOR. 13 The presence of the Mo(VI)/ Mo(IV) redox couple (Figure 2C) in the MoNiP/NF-0.50 catalyst may promote the surface transformation of Ni 2+ oxidized to Ni 3+ , enabling effective UOR via NiOOH. 9,47 As a typical nonmetal element with a variable valence state, P doped in the Ni-based catalyst played an important role in improving the electrocatalytic UOR.…”

Bismuth sulfide micro flowers decorated nickel foam as a promising electrochemical sensor for quantitative analysis of melamine in bottled milk samples

“…Furthermore, three electrode setup real image. The high-magnification images demonstrate the smooth surface morphology of NF, featuring Ni (nickel) grain boundaries that promote the growth of Bi 2 S 3 microflowers during the seeding process, as well as the arbitrary distribution of microflowers during hydrothermal synthesis [18]. In figure 2(c), shows the low-magnification FESEM image of Bi 2 S 3 , with the skeletal structure of NF, which is randomly distributed on its surface.…”

Case Study on Operation Management Performance Improvement of Scrap Iron Company

“…Furthermore, the iron, one of the mineral resources, has an extraordinary influence on the economies of the world today: it affects two major industries in the market: the steel industry and the bulk industry. However, the usage of iron leads to the generation of large quantities of scrap iron, which is hazardous to health and causes environmental pollution [4]. Therefore, enhance the reuse of iron is an import issue for the industries and government.…”