Succulent-plant-like Ni-Co alloy efficient catalysts for direct borohydride fuel cells

A Ni-Co alloy catalyst with a unique succulent-plant-like morphology is prepared by a simple electrodeposition method, while the effects of deposition conditions on its performance are also investigated systematically. The research results show that the Ni-0.889-Co-0.111 catalyst exhibits excellent activity, selectivity, and stability to the borohydride oxidation reaction. Moreover, when Ni-0.889-Co-0.111 is assembled as the anode catalyst, the direct borohydride fuel cell delivers a peak power density of 490 mW cm(-2) and an open-circuit voltage of 1.87 V at 343 K and can run stably for dozens of hours. The significant improvement in Ni-Co catalyst performance can be attributed to its unique succulent-plant-like morphology and the introduction of an appropriate amount of Co.

Automated summary

A Ni-Co alloy catalyst with a unique succulent-plant-like morphology is prepared by electrodeposition, and the effects of deposition conditions on its performance are systematically investigated. The Ni-0.889-Co-0.111 catalyst shows excellent activity, selectivity, and stability in the borohydride oxidation reaction. Furthermore, when used as an anode catalyst in a direct borohydride fuel cell, it achieves a peak power density of 490 mW cm(-2) and an open-circuit voltage of 1.87 V at 343 K, and can operate stably for several hours. The improved performance of the Ni-Co catalyst is attributed to its unique morphology and the appropriate amount of Co.