Fabrication of Efficient Gold−Nickel-Supported Titania Nanotube Electrocatalysts for Sodium Borohydride−Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cells

Abstract

Here we report the optimization of the fabrication conditions for AuNi bimetallic catalysts supported on self-ordered titania nanotube arrays (AuNi-TiO2ntb). A series of efficient AuNi-TiO2ntb catalysts with small amounts of Au in the range of 1.74 to 15.7 µgAu·cm−2 have been fabricated by anodization, electroless Ni plating, and galvanic displacement techniques. The electrocatalytic activity of the catalysts has been evaluated for BH4− ion oxidation in an alkaline medium using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The performance of a NaBH4-H2O2 fuel cell with Ni-TiO2ntb and AuNi-TiO2ntb anode catalysts has been investigated at different temperatures. It was found that the electrocatalytic activity of AuNi-TiO2ntbs catalysts was improved remarkably when the Ni layer of 100 and 400 nm was used for the deposition of Au crystallites. The Ni-TiO2ntb catalyst generates the maximum power density values of ca. 85–121 mW·cm−2 at a temperature of 25–55◦C, whereas the AuNi-TiO2ntb catalysts that have the Au loading of 3.07 and 15.7 µgAu·cm−2 achieve the power density values of ca. 104–147 and 119–170 mW·cm−2, respectively, at a temperature of 25–55◦C.