Ni–Co–Cu composite supported by graphene oxide doped with nitrogen as an anode catalyst in a high-performance glucose electrooxidation

Abstract

In this research, two electrocatalysts (Ni–Co–Cu/NG-1 and Ni–Co–Cu/NG-2) were synthesized by combined use of nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) and cobalt, copper and nickel with different metallic content. The synthesis procedure was optimized such that nickel and cobalt are composed in hydroxide form and the copper is formed as copper oxide. The electrocatalytic performance of the electrocatalysts studied by cyclic voltammetry for glucose oxidation and the eletrocatalyst with higher metal content displayed a larger current density (30.22 mA/cm2) in comparison to the other electrocatalyst (22.72 mA/cm2). This enhancement stems from the synergistic effects of the composite materials in the electrocatalysts. Moreover, graphene oxide plays a key role in improving the movement of electrons on the electrocatalysts surface, which leads to improving the catalytic performance of the catalyst. The durability of the catalysts was evaluated and the results showed that the current decline of the Ni–Co–Cu/NG-1 catalyst was larger than the Ni–Co–Cu/NG-2 electrocatalyst.