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The microstructural refinement and performance improvement of a nanoporous Ag/CeO2 catalyst for NaBH4 oxidation
1MOE Key Laboratory for Non-Equilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Advanced Functional Materials and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, People's Republic of China.
Copper and cerium addition to aluminum-silver alloys created advanced nanoporous silver and silver/cerium dioxide catalysts. These refined microstructures significantly enhance catalytic properties for sodium borohydride oxidation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Catalysis
- Electrochemistry
Background:
- Nanoporous silver (Ag) catalysts are crucial for reactions like sodium borohydride (NaBH4) oxidation.
- Refining the microstructure of nanoporous Ag is key to enhancing its catalytic efficiency.
- Incorporating cerium dioxide (CeO2) nanostructures can further improve catalyst performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of copper (Cu) and cerium (Ce) addition on the microstructure of melt-spun Al-Ag precursor alloys.
- To develop refined nanoporous Ag and Ag/CeO2 composite catalysts for improved NaBH4 oxidation.
- To evaluate the catalytic performance of the synthesized materials.
Main Methods:
- Melt-spinning of Al-Ag precursor alloys with varying Cu and Ce content.
- Multi-step dealloying and corrosion processes using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions.
- Calcination in air to form CeO2 nanorods within the Ag matrix.
- Electrochemical measurements to assess catalytic activity.
Main Results:
- Al84Ag8Cu8 alloy yielded the finest nanoporous Ag microstructure after dealloying and corrosion.
- Addition of Ce ( > 0.3%) to Al84Ag8Cu8 resulted in Ag/CeO2 composites with interspersed CeO2 nanorods.
- The Al84Ag8Cu8Ce0.5 precursor produced the best-performing catalyst, showing a 2.5x higher current density than Al84Ag8Cu8.
- Cu addition significantly increased catalytic properties, while Ce further enhanced them.
Conclusions:
- The core-shell structure formed during dealloying limits Ag diffusion, preventing ligament coarsening and creating a high surface area.
- Strong interfacial interactions between Ag ligaments and CeO2 nanorods, along with improved Ag utilization, are key to enhanced catalytic performance.
- The developed nanoporous Ag/CeO2 composite catalysts offer superior activity for NaBH4 oxidation.
