Surface activation of conductive porous alumina by depositing nickel particles

Abstract

Electrically conductive porous ceramics have gained a recent surge of interests in development of high-performance electrocatalysts. This paper mainly describes the electrochemical activation of conductive porous alumina (CPA) by depositing nickel nanoparticles as an electrocatalyst. The surface of the porous alumina was initially pretreated with mixed acids, followed by depositing nickel particles using an electroless method. Field-emission scanning electron microscope observation and energy diffraction X-ray spectroscopy analysis verified that Ni nanoparticles were successfully deposited onto surface of the CPA. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry analyses showed that the CPA deposited with nickel nanoparticles behaved as an efficient electrocatalyst for electrooxidation of methanol, which implied its potential application for fuel cells. © 2008 The American Ceramic Society.