P-076

Aušrinė Zabielaitė

ausrine.zabielaite@ftmc.lt

Irena Stalnionienė, Aldona Balčiūnaitė, Jūratė Vaičiūnienė, Eugenijus Norkus, Loreta Tamašauskaitė-Tamašiūnaitė

Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC), Lithuania

Facile Fabrication of Gold Nanoparticles Modified Nickel-Iron Coatings for Efficient Hydrazine Electrooxidation

Direct liquid-feed fuel cells (DLFCs) are the most promising fuel cell (FC) technology for portable electronic devices due to their high energy densities, simple structures, small fuel cartridges, instant recharging, and ease of storage and transport. Hydrazine (N2H4) is a promising fuel for DLFCs applications due to its low cost, easy synthesis, and unlimited basic starting materials of nitrogen (N2) and hydrogen (H2), and it has no recycling limitations. The preparation of high-performance and low cost electrocatalysts for N2H4 electrooxidation is essential for the development of direct hydrazine fuel cells (DHFCs).

This study presents a facile approach for the preparation of gold nanoparticle (AuNPs)-modified nickel-iron (NiFe) catalysts by a two-step process that involves electroless plating of NiFe coatings on the copper (Cu) sheets followed by a spontaneous Au displacement from the HAuCl4 solution. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and inductively coupled optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) were applied to characterize of the morphology, structure, and composition of the prepared catalysts. The electrochemical behavior of the prepared AuNPs-NiFe/Cu catalysts for the electrooxidation reaction of hydrazine was examined using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and chronopotentiometry.

AuNPs of a few nanometers in size were deposited on the NiFe surface by immersing the NiFe/Cu electrode in the gold-containing solution for different time periods. The prepared NiFe catalysts with different Au loadings demonstrated their significantly higher electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of hydrazine as compared to that of bare Au or NiFe/Cu and seem to be a promising anode material for DHFCs.

Acknowledgment

This research was funded by a grant (No. P-MIP-23-467) from the Research Council of Lithuania.