A highly active Ni-based anode material for urea electrocatalysis by a modified sol-gel method.

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Nickel-based catalysts are crucial for urea oxidation reactions.
• Catalyst morphology and electrochemical properties are sensitive to preparation conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a highly electroactive nickel-based catalyst for urea oxidation.
• To investigate the effect of gel formation conditions on catalyst properties.
• To evaluate the catalyst's performance in urea fuel cells.

Main Methods:

• Sol-gel method with gel mixture bubbling.
• Characterization using X-ray diffraction, FTIR, XPS, SEM, and TEM.
• Electrochemical testing for urea oxidation and fuel cell performance.

Main Results:

• Optimized Ni-based catalyst achieved urea oxidation activity of 570 mA mg⁻¹ at 0.54 V.
• Maximum power densities of 19.6 mW cm⁻² (30°C) and 36.4 mW cm⁻² (70°C) were recorded.
• The catalyst demonstrated stable voltage output for 3 days.

Conclusions:

• The facile sol-gel method yields an efficient Ni-based catalyst for urea oxidation.
• The developed catalyst is a promising anode material for urea fuel cells.
• Optimizing gel formation conditions is key to enhancing catalyst performance.