Electrooxidation of glycerol on nickel and nickel alloy ( Ni-Cu and Ni-Co) nanoparticles in alkaline media

In the present study, nickel (Ni) and Ni alloy (Ni-Cu and Ni-Co) nanoparticles modified carbon-ceramic electrodes (Ni/CCE, Ni-Cu/CCE and Ni-Co/CCE) were prepared by an electrochemical process for the oxidation of glycerol. In order to obtain the surface and physicochemical information, the Ni/CCE, NiCu/CCE and Ni-Co/CCE were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and electrochemical techniques. Then, cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry were employed to characterize the electrocatalytic activity of the modified electrodes, Ni/CCE, Ni-Cu/CCE and Ni-Co/CCE, toward the oxidation of glycerol in 1.0 M NaOH solution. It was found that the Ni alloy nanoparticle modified electrodes are catalytically more active than the Ni/CCE, therefore, the alloying of the Ni with Cu and Co in the form of nanoparticles on the carbon-ceramic electrode, as a homemade substrate, greatly enhances the catalytic activity of the Ni-based electrocatalysts (as the non-platinum electrocatalysts) in glycerol oxidation.