Issue 3, 2023

Performance improvement strategies of a cobalt-based electrode for the electrooxidation of sodium borohydride

Abstract

Herein, cobalt (Co) nanoplates were firstly grown on nickel foam (NF) via a simple electrodeposition method. Subsequently, the component and structure of Co on NF were regulated and controlled through chemical etching using oxalic acid (H2C2O4), and finally the surface of the obtained material was reduced using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) to form an electrode (Co/NF-CoC2O4-Co) containing various Co-based composites (e.g., Co, CoC2O4, and Co oxides) with a three-dimensional (3D) porous nanoflower structure. The special structure of Co/NF-CoC2O4-Co provided abundant catalytically active sites during the electrochemical reaction and the synergistic effect of the various components in the electrode further improved its electrocatalytic performance. Besides, the metallic Co in the electrode provided fast electron transfer paths. The oxidation current density of Co/NF-CoC2O4-Co reached 315.85 mA cm−2 at −0.58 V in 1.0 mol dm−3 NaOH and 0.1 mol dm−3 NaBH4, which are much higher than that of Co/NF (59.96 mA cm−2) and Co/NF-CoC2O4 (264.55 mA cm−2). It is worth noting that Co/NF-CoC2O4-Co was further applied in a cylindrical rotating bed (CRB) to weaken the bubble effect and enhance the mass transfer during the electrooxidation of NaBH4. The results demonstrated that the device exhibited a significantly improved electrochemical performance, which was 2.7 (electrode rotational speed of 112 rpm) and 3.9 (solution circulating flow rate of 400 mL min−1) times that of the traditional stationary state, respectively.

Graphical abstract: Performance improvement strategies of a cobalt-based electrode for the electrooxidation of sodium borohydride

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 Oct 2022
Accepted
24 Dec 2022
First published
26 Dec 2022

Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2023,7, 682-692

Performance improvement strategies of a cobalt-based electrode for the electrooxidation of sodium borohydride

Y. Li, T. Sun, Y. Liu, W. Jiao, J. Gao and D. Zhang, Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2023, 7, 682 DOI: 10.1039/D2SE01379G

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements