Nanostructured Ni–P–TiO 2 composite coatings for electrocatalytic oxidation of small organic molecules

Abstract

Ni–P–TiO 2 nanocomposite coatings with various contents of TiO 2 nano-particulates were prepared by electroless technique from Ni–P plating bath containing TiO 2 powder. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) technique have been applied in order to investigate the chemical composition and phase structure of the coatings, respectively. The incorporation of TiO 2 nano-particulates was found to be improved by the addition of TiO 2 powder to the plating bath. However, it has no significant effect on the wt% of P content in the deposit. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that the morphology of Ni–P–TiO 2 nanocomposite coating is finer and smoother than that of Ni–P coating. The catalytic activity of the prepared electrodes toward electro-oxidation of small organic molecules was studied and their stability with time was investigated. The catalytic activity was found to vary with the amount of the TiO 2 embedded into the Ni deposit.