Issue 15, 2018

The morphology-dependent electrocatalytic activities of spinel-cobalt oxide nanomaterials for direct hydrazine fuel cell application

Abstract

The design of novel, Earth-abundant and efficient electrocatalytic active materials is key for direct-electrochemical oxidation fuel cells (DEOFCs). Herein, we report different morphologically tuned spinel-cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanomaterials such as pellet-, flower-, cube- and sheet-like morphologies as anode catalysts for an enhanced hydrazine oxidation reaction (HOR) for the first time. It is found that sheet-structured Co3O4 nanomaterial exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance towards the HOR in comparison to pellet-, flower- and cube-like morphologies. The as-fabricated Co3O4-sheet electrode demonstrates a high mass activity of ∼2.24 A g−1 with a low onset potential of 1.09 V (vs. RHE). The attained high catalytic activity of the Co3O4-sheet electrode is ascribed to the high porosity, two-dimensional (2-D) layered sheet morphology, nanoscale dimensions, and the high BET surface area, providing large accessible active sites for hydrazine adsorption and fast reaction kinetics. The present systematic and thorough investigation provides detailed relationships between the micro-/nano-structures of the electrode materials and their electrocatalytic performances, which could serve as a simple approach for the development of facile and robust electrode candidates for the HOR in alkaline media.

Graphical abstract: The morphology-dependent electrocatalytic activities of spinel-cobalt oxide nanomaterials for direct hydrazine fuel cell application

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 Apr 2018
Accepted
25 Jun 2018
First published
10 Jul 2018

New J. Chem., 2018,42, 13087-13095

The morphology-dependent electrocatalytic activities of spinel-cobalt oxide nanomaterials for direct hydrazine fuel cell application

R. Kumaran, S. Boopathi, M. Kundu, M. Sasidharan and G. Maduraiveeran, New J. Chem., 2018, 42, 13087 DOI: 10.1039/C8NJ01622D

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