Effective Fuel Cell Electrocatalyst with Ultralow Pd Loading on Ni-N-Doped Graphene from Upcycled Water Bottle Waste

Aldona Balčiūnaitė, Noha A. Elessawy, Biljana Šljukić, Arafat Toghan, Sami A. Al-Hussain, Marwa H. Gouda, M. Elsayed Youssef and Diogo M. F. Santos ()
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Aldona Balčiūnaitė: Department of Catalysis, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
Noha A. Elessawy: Computer Based Engineering Applications Department, Informatics Research Institute IRI, City of Scientific Research & Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria 21934, Egypt
Biljana Šljukić: Center of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials, Laboratory for Physics of Materials and Emerging Technologies, Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
Arafat Toghan: Chemistry Department, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11623, Saudi Arabia
Sami A. Al-Hussain: Chemistry Department, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11623, Saudi Arabia
Marwa H. Gouda: Polymer Materials Research Department, Advanced Technology and New Materials Research Institute (ATNMRI), City of Scientific Research & Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria 21934, Egypt
M. Elsayed Youssef: Computer Based Engineering Applications Department, Informatics Research Institute IRI, City of Scientific Research & Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria 21934, Egypt
Diogo M. F. Santos: Center of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials, Laboratory for Physics of Materials and Emerging Technologies, Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-16

Abstract: Environmental pollution due to the excessive consumption of fossil fuels for energy production is a critical global issue. Fuel cells convert chemical energy directly into electricity in a clean and silent electrochemical process, but face challenges related to hydrogen storage, handling, and transportation. The direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC), utilizing sodium borohydride as a liquid fuel, is a promising alternative to overcome such issues but requires the design of cost-effective nanostructured electrocatalysts. In this study, we synthesized nitrogen-doped graphene anchoring Ni nanoparticles (Ni@NG) by thermal degradation of polyethylene terephthalate bottle waste with urea and metallic Ni, and evaluated it as a sustainable carbon support. Electrocatalysts were prepared by incorporating ultralow amounts (0.09 to 0.27 wt.%) of Pd into the Ni@NG support. The resulting PdNi@NG electrocatalysts were characterized using ICP-OES, XPS, TEM, N 2 -sorption analysis, XRD, and Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. Voltammetry assessed the materials’ electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction and borohydride oxidation reactions in alkaline media, corresponding to the anodic and cathodic reactions in DBFCs. The electrocatalyst with 0.27 wt.% Pd loading (PdNi_15@NG) exhibited the best performance for both reactions. Consequently, it was employed as an anodic and cathodic material in a lab-scale DBFC, achieving a specific power of 3.46 kW g Pd −1 .

Keywords: graphene; PET bottle waste; upcycled water bottle; direct borohydride fuel cell; borohydride oxidation reaction; oxygen reduction reaction; nickel; palladium (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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