Electrocatalytic performance of inorganic nanoflakes nickel phosphates under adjusted synthetic parameters towards urea and methanol oxidation in alkaline media

Abstract

Inorganic nanoflakes nickel phosphates (Ni-P) were introduced to enhance the activity of the working electrode for the electrooxidation of small organic molecules: methanol and urea. The urea proportions during the synthesis of the Ni-P material were evaluated and its impact on Ni-P morphology and structure was determined. The as-fabricated Ni-P material was studied in terms of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Field emission scanning electron microscope/ energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (FESEM/EDX), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analyses. These techniques indicate the synthesized material is Ni-P with nanoflakes morphology. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), as well as impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques, were investigated in the reference/working/counter electrodes system to study the electrocatalytic performance of the introduced nanoflakes phosphate material for both methanol and urea oxidation in presence of KOH aqueous medium. 0.8 M of urea was the optimum proportion found for the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol. The synthesized phosphates showed enhanced electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol and urea at different scan rates. Besides, the EIS approves the ability of the synthesized nanoflakes phosphate to electrochemically oxidize methanol and urea. This study presents cheap electrocatalysts to help in the commercial process of fuel cells as well as water treatment from organics like urea.