Nanoporous gold anode catalyst for direct borohydride fuel cell
Peer-reviewed journal article
Lorraine Nagle, James Rohan
Nanoporous gold (NPG) electrodes were fabricated in film and wire array formats by selectively dealloying Ag from Au0.18Ag0.82. Borohydride oxidation was studied by cyclic voltammetry at the NPG electrodes. The onset potential for the oxidation at a NPG wire array shifted to more negative potentials that than observed at a Au disc and higher currents were realised. An onset potential of -1.07 V vs. Ag/AgCl which is 0.207 V lower than that at a Au disc was recorded. The oxidation current for 20 mM borohydride in 1 M NaOH increased to 73.6 mA cm-2 from 3.17 at a Au disc. A value of 7.85 electrons was determined for n out of a possible 8 for borohydride oxidation. NPG presents an attractive alternative to gold nanoparticle-based catalysts for use in direct borohydride fuel cells. NPG can establish intimate contact with an electrical substrate and eliminates the need for a carbon support.
INT J HYDROGEN ENERG
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy