Ni Foam Research Articles

Three-dimensional flower-like Ni-S/Co-MOF grown on Ni foam as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for efficient overall water splitting.

Poor conductivity of the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) limits their applications in overall water splitting. Surface sulfur (S) doping transition metal hydroxides would effectively improve the conductivity and adjust the electronic structure to generate additional electroactive sites. Herein, we fabricated a Ni-S/Co-MOF/NF catalyst by electroplating a Ni-S film on the 3D flower-like Co-MOF. Because the 3D flower-like structures are covered in Ni foam, the high exposure of active sites and good conductivity are obtained. Moreover, the synergistic effect between Ni-S and Co-MOF contributes to the redistribution of electrons in the catalyst, which can then optimize the catalytic performance of the material. The obtained 3D flower-like Ni-S/Co-MOF/NF demonstrates excellent activity toward both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 1 M KOH, which only requires a low overpotential of 248 mV@10 mA cm-2 for the OER and 127 mV@10 mA cm-2 for the HER, respectively. At a current density of 10 mA cm-2, the Ni-S/Co-MOF/NF‖Ni-S/Co-MOF/NF requires a low cell voltage of 1.59 V to split overall water splitting.

Rapid carbothermal shocking fabrication of iron-incorporated molybdenum oxide with heterogeneous spin states for enhanced overall water/seawater splitting.

Molybdenum dioxide (MoO2) has been considered as a promising hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalyst. However, the active sites are mainly located at the edges, resulting in few active sites and poor activity in the HER. Herein, we first reported on an efficient strategy to incorporate Fe into MoO2 nanosheets on Ni foam (Fe-MoO2/NF) using a rapid carbothermal shocking method (820 °C for 127 s). Notably, the different spin states between Fe and Mo atoms could lead to rich lattice dislocations in Fe-MoO2/NF, exposing abundant oxygen vacancies and the low-oxidation-state of Mo sites during the rapid Joule heating process. As tested, the catalyst exhibited superior activity with ultralow overpotentials (HER: 17 mV@10 mA cm-2; oxygen evolution reaction (OER): 310 mV@50 mA cm-2) and high OER selectivity in alkaline seawater splitting. Meanwhile, this catalyst was equipped in a home-made anion exchange membrane (AEM) seawater electrolyzer, which achieved a low energy consumption (5.5 kW h m-3). More importantly, Fe-MoO2/NF also coupled very well with a solar-driven electrolytic system and turned out a solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency of 13.5%. Theoretical results also demonstrated that Fe incorporated and abundant oxygen vacancies in MoO2 can distort the distance of the Mo-O bonds and regulate the electronic structure, thus optimizing the binding energy of H*/OOH* adsorption. This method can be extended to other heterogeneous spin states in MoO2-based catalysts (e.g. Ni-MoO2/NF, Co-MoO2/NF) for seawater splitting, and provide a simple, efficient and universal strategy to prepare highly-efficient MoO2-based electrocatalysts.

A robust single compartment peroxide fuel cell using mesoporous antimony doped tin oxide as the cathode material.

To date, metal oxide catalysts have not been explored as cathode materials for robust and high-performance single-compartment H2O2 fuel cells due to significant non-electrochemical disproportionation losses of H2O2 on many metal oxide surfaces. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate an acidic peroxide fuel cell with antimony doped tin oxide as the cathode and widely used Ni foam as the anode material. Our constructed peroxide fuel cell records a superior open circuit potential of nearly 0.82 V and a maximum power density of 0.32 mW cm-2 with high operational stability. The fuel cell performance is further improved by increasing the ionic strength of the electrolyte with the addition of 1 M NaCl, resulting in an increased maximum power density value of 1.1 mW cm-2.

Rapid electrodeposition of Cu nanoparticle film on Ni foam as an integrated 3D free-standing electrode for non-invasive and non-enzymatic creatinine sensing.

High cost, inherent destabilization, and intricate fixing of enzyme molecules are the main drawbacks of enzyme-based creatinine sensors. The design of a low-cost, stabilizable, and enzyme-free creatinine sensing probe is essential to address these limitations. In this work, an integrated three-dimensional (3D) free-standing electrode was designed to serve as a non-enzymatic creatinine sensing platform and was fabricated by rapid electrodeposition of a dense copper nanoparticle film on nickel foam (Cu NP film/NF). This low-cost, stable, easy-to-fabricate, and binder-free Cu NP film/NF electrode has abundant active sites and excellent electrochemical performance. Cyclic voltammetry measurements show a wide linear range (0.25-24 mM), low detection limit (0.17 mM), and high sensitivity (306 μA mM-1 cm-2). The developed sensor shows high recovery of creatinine concentration in real urine. Besides, it has better specificity, reproducibility, and robustness in detecting creatinine. These excellent results suggest that a non-enzymatic creatinine sensor based on an integrated 3D free-standing Cu NP film/NF electrode has good potential for non-invasive detection of urinary creatinine.

Heterostructured ZnFe2O4@Ni3S2 nanosheet arrays on Ni foam as an efficient oxygen evolution catalyst.

Honeycomb-like ZnFe2O4@Ni3S2 hierarchical nanosheet arrays on Ni foam (NF) were fabricated via a combined hydrothermal and electrodeposition method. The electrode exhibits high oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity with low overpotentials of 254 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and 290 mV at 50 mA cm-2, a small Tafel slope of 39.29 mV dec-1 and excellent durability in an alkaline electrolyte.

Binder-free MoSe/MMSe composite and onion-derived activated carbon electrode materials for high-performance hybrid supercapacitors

MoSe/MMSe composite electrode materials were prepared on Ni foam via a facile hydrothermal technique. The composite electrode showed superior electrochemical performanc with ultra-long cycling stability.

A stable N-doped NiMoO4/NiO2 electrocatalyst for efficient oxygen evolution reaction.

Recently, there has been a significant interest in the study of highly active and stable transition metal-based electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Non-noble metal nanocatalysts with excellent inherent activity, many exposed active centers, rapid electron transfer, and excellent structural stability are especially promising for the displacement of precious-metal catalysts for the production of sustainable and "clean" hydrogen gas through water-splitting. Herein, efficient electrocatalyst N-doped nickel molybdate nanorods were synthesized on Ni foam by a hydrothermal process and effortless chemical vapor deposition. The heterostructure interface of N-NiMoO4/NiO2 led to strong electronic interactions, which were beneficial for enhancing the OER activity of the catalyst. Excellent OER catalytic activity in 1.0 M KOH was shown, which offered a small overpotential of 185.6 mV to acquire a current density of 10 mA cm-2 (superior to the commercial benchmark material RuO2 under the same condition). This excellent electrocatalyst was stable for 90 h at a constant current density of 10 mA cm-2. We created an extremely reliable and effective OER electrocatalyst without the use of noble metals by doping a nonmetal element with nanostructured heterojunctions of various active components.

Fabrication and Electrochemical Analysis of NiCo2O4@Ni-MOF Nanoarchitectonics Composites on Ni-Foam Substrate for Supercapacitor Electrodes

To produce the free-standing electrodes, a binder-free direct growth method was employed for electrode fabrication. A NiCo2O4@Ni-MOF (metal–organic framework) composite was synthesized using a one-pot hydrothermal method. Initially, a NiCo2O4 nanowire array was cultivated on Ni foam, serving as a connecting bridge to ensure robust adherence of the Ni-MOF to the substrate. The structures of NiCo2O4 nanowire arrays exhibit the capacity for numerous redox reactions. Hybridizing MOF with transition metal oxide (TMO) nanoarchitectures can significantly alleviate the small specific surface area and aggregation tendency of TMOs. The highest energy storage capacity was obtained when the ratio of nickel to terephthalic acid (TPA) was 4:1. NiCo2O4@Ni-MOF (Ni:[Formula: see text]:1) exhibited a high storage capacitance of 1700[Formula: see text]F/g. The integration of MOF with TMO nanoarchitectonics as materials for supercapacitor electrodes can enhance porous structure and facilitate diffusion during both charging and discharging processes.

Supercapacitive properties of carbazole-containing cobalt(II) phthalocyanines/reduced graphene oxide composites.

This study aims to compare the effect of substituents (position and number) and reduced graphene oxide on the supercapacitive properties of cobalt(II) phthalocyanines. For this purpose, three new tetra- and octa-substituted cobalt(II) phthalocyanines bearing 9H-carbazol-2-yloxy groups on peripheral or non-peripheral positions (1-3) were synthesized. The characterization of the resultant cobalt(II) phthalocyanines was carried out by applying several spectroscopic approaches. The newly synthesized macromolecules were used for the functionalization of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The obtained nanocomposites (rGO-(1-3)) were utilized for the modification of Ni foam (NiF) electrodes through a facile one-step electrodeposition strategy performed for electrochemical supercapacitor applications. Simultaneous polymerization of the cobalt phthalocyanines and electrochemically reduction of graphene oxide led to the formation of a fabricating layer on the surface of the NiF electrode. The resulting electropolymerized films were characterized by Raman, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), and Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) spectroscopic techniques as well as electrochemical methods. The prepared electrodes possessed superior electrochemical activities owing to the synergistic effect of the cobalt(II) phthalocyanines and rGO. All the modified electrodes displayed high supercapacitaive properties and the highest activity was obtained for the NiF/rGO2-1 electrode. The NiF/rGO2-1 electrode exhibited higher specific capacitance (655.2 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1) than NiF/1 (338.0 F g-1). Additionally, a specific capacitance of 85.2% was obtained for NiF/rGO2-1 electrode after 3000 charge-discharge cycles. As a result, all the prepared metallophthalocyanines-reduced graphene oxide can be considered alternative agents to develop high performance-next-generation energy storage devices.

Efficient detection of p-nitrophenol via a polypyrrole flower-decorated nickel foam-based electrochemical sensor.

p-Nitrophenol (p-NP) is known as a common contaminant found in wastewater, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents which can degrade water quality and cause potential carcinogenic and toxic effects on the human body. Its detection is essential for public health, industrial safety, environmental protection, and regulatory compliance, underscoring its broad applicability. In this study, a novel electrochemical sensor based on polypyrrole (PPy) flowers assembled via nanotubes was developed for the sensitive determination of p-NP. The nickel (Ni) foam modified with PPy flowers functioned as the working electrode and showed selectivity toward p-NP in a phosphate buffer medium at pH 7.0. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques were utilized for the sensitive determination of p-NP. Under the optimum conditions, the peak currents of DPV versus the concentrations of p-NP in the range of 0.01-20 nM showed a good linear relationship (R2 = 0.9943), and the limit of detection (LOD) was calculated to be 7.18 pM (signal-to-noise ratio of 3, S/N = 3). The fabricated electrochemical p-NP sensor exhibited high sensitivity, a low detection limit, and a low response time. The recoveries of p-NP in real samples of groundwater and tap water using the PPy Fls/Ni foam electrode were in the range of 91.0-108.4% with a relative standard deviation (RSD) in the range of 6.65%. Consequently, the PPy Fls/Ni foam electrode could be applied as a rapid, precise, and sensitive electrochemical sensor platform for aqueous p-NP quantification and determination.

Activating nickel foam with trace titanium oxide for enhanced water oxidation.

Nickel-based electrocatalysts for water oxidation suffer from low activity and poor stability. In this work, 0.015 mg cm-2 TiO2 nanosheets anchored on Ni foam addressed these problems after electrochemical activation. In situ investigations, including Raman spectra, corroborated the enhanced generation of highly active Ni(III)-O-O species on Ni foam in the presence of trace TiO2.

Partially oxidized inter-doped RuNi alloy aerogel for the hydrogen evolution reaction in both alkaline and acidic media.

A facile reduction and doping process is employed with the supercritical ethanol drying method to form RuNi alloy aerogels. The optimized heterostructure comprising RuNi metal, RuO2, and NiO phases is synthesized through partial oxidation. When applied to the surface of Ni foam, the multiphase aerogels form a morphology of highly porous 0D colloidal aerogel networks on the surface. RuNi alloy-Ni foam oxidized at 350 °C (RuNi-350@NF) has an overpotential of 89 and 61 mV in 1 M KOH and 0.5 M H2SO4 media at 50 mA cm-2, as well as satisfactory long-term stability. Additionally, the Tafel slopes in alkaline and acidic media are found to be 34 and 30.9 mV dec-1, respectively. Furthermore, it exhibits long-term stability (35 h) in alkaline and acidic media at high current densities of 50 mA cm-2, respectively. This study presents a novel strategy for developing exceptionally efficient and free-standing 3D porous aerogel electrocatalysts with potential applications in hydrogen production.

Effects of N2 plasma modification on the surface properties and electrochemical performance of Ni foam electrodes for double-chamber microbial fuel cells

Plasma-modified Ni foam electrodes are suitable for MFCs because they combine the advantages of high surface area structures and good electrical conductivity.

Novel electrospun bead-like Ag2MoO4 nanofibers coated on Ni foam for visible light-driven heterogeneous photocatalysis and high-performance supercapacitor electrodes.

Novel Ag2MoO4 nanocomposite fibers were designed to enhance the photocatalytic response and supercapacitor performance of MoO3 grown via the sol-gel electrospinning technique. The Ag2MoO4 nanocomposite fibers exhibit a high specific surface area of 49.3 m2 g-1 comprising nanobeads that aggregate in the fibrous structure. The photodegradation efficiency of Ag2MoO4 was evaluated as 62% under visible light irradiation which improved to 71% with heterogeneous photocatalysis. The Ag2MoO4@Ni foam exhibited a low Rct of 19.6 Ω, and an enhanced specific capacitance of 1445 F g-1 was obtained at 1 A g-1, with 93% of its initial capacitance remaining after 5000 cycles. In addition, the Ag2MoO4//activated carbon asymmetric supercapacitor possesses an excellent energy density of 76.6 W h kg-1 at 743.2 W kg-1 and a noteworthy cycling durability of 91% after 5000 cycles. Our findings demonstrate that the electrospun Ag2MoO4@Ni foam is an important and inexpensive electrode material for supercapacitor applications and visible light-driven heterogeneous photocatalysis, drawing on the synergic effects of Ag and Mo to exhibit much better performance.

Development of 3D compound structures and highly wettable carbonate hydroxide electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors.

A facile hydrothermal method was employed to fabricate tailored NiCo(CO3)(OH)2 electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors. Ni and Co ions, transition metals with versatile oxidation states, were used, promoting redox reactions. Additionally, a comparative analysis of the characteristics and electrochemical properties between electrodes fabricated with 3D Ni foam substrates and those without substrates was conducted. This comparison emphasizes the critical role of 3D substrate selection in enhancing electrochemical performance during electrode fabrication. Furthermore, carbonate/hydroxide-based transition metal electrodes have been fabricated. Carbonate-based transition metals can substantially increase the wettability of the electrode surface due to their hydrophilicity, which has proven beneficial in aqueous electrolytes. The NiCo(CO3)(OH)2 electrodes with Ni foam substrates and without Ni foam substrates exhibit impressive specific capacitances of 2576.4 and 1460.2 F g-1, respectively, at 3 A g-1. Furthermore, an asymmetric supercapacitor configuration is introduced, utilizing the NiCo(CO3)(OH)2 electrode with a Ni foam substrate and graphene as positive and negative electrodes, respectively. A remarkable energy density of 35.5 W h kg-1 and a power density of 2555.6 W kg-1 at a current density of 2 A g-1 are exhibited by this configuration. Notably, excellent cycling stability is displayed by the asymmetric supercapacitor, with approximately ∼71.3% of its capacity retained after 10 000 cycles. These results highlight the promising potential of the fabricated electrodes and asymmetric supercapacitor configuration for practical energy storage applications.

Two-Step Electrodeposition of Polypyrrole Nanospheres and Pt Nanostars on Ni Foam for Electrochemical Detection of Ammonia–Nitrogen

Designing and developing sensitive electrochemical sensors have always been paid attention to achieve the accurate detection of ammonia–nitrogen in the aqueous environment. Herein, a two-step electrodeposition route was used to achieve a Ni foam-supported polypyrrole nanospheres and Pt nanostars sensing electrode (Pt-PPy-Ni foam) for ammonia–nitrogen detection. After controlling the deposition time of Pt nanostars, the optimal Pt-PPy-Ni foam electrode exhibited greater electrocatalytic ability for ammonia oxidation reaction with a current density of 41.73 mA cm[Formula: see text] than that of Pt-Ni foam. This enhanced electrocatalytic ability could be attributed to the excellent adsorption of polypyrrole nanospheres for ammonia and the great catalytic activity of Pt nanostars for the ammonia oxidation reaction. This Pt-PPy-Ni foam electrode showed great detection performances with a sensitivity of 0.013 mA [Formula: see text]M[Formula: see text], and a detection limit of 8.72 [Formula: see text]M. Moreover, accepted results were obtained for the recovery measurements of lake and seawater samples with recoveries from 101.05% to 102.27% and 90.73% to 91.70%. In addition, Pt-PPy-Ni foam sensor exhibited good anti-interference ability with low current charges, reproducibility (relative standard deviation = 1.58%) and stability (relative standard deviation = 6.11%), showing a great application potential.

Preparation of nickel foam modified by multiwalled hollow spheres of NiCo2O4 as a promising non-enzymatic glucose sensor.

Nickel foam modified by hollow sphere NiCo2O4 particles was successfully prepared via a hydrothermal method using nanosphere SiO2 particles as the hard template for the hollow structure. Characterisation using SEM-EDX and TEM confirmed the structure as multiwalled hollow spheres with an average size of 270 nm, while characterisation using SEM, XRD, and XPS confirmed that the NiCo2O4 particles were attached on the surface of the nickel foam. BET analysis showed that the surface area of the synthesized NiCo2O4@Ni foam was nearly three times higher compared to that of the unmodified Ni foam. Investigation of the NiCo2O4-modified nickel foam as an electrode for the detection of glucose in sodium hydroxide solution showed high linearity of the anodic currents (R2 = 0.99) in the concentration range of 0-2.5 μM with sensitivity of 0.060 mA μM-1 and an estimated limit of detection of 0.060 μM. Excellent stability of the current response was also obtained with a relative standard deviation of 1.51% (n = 10). Furthermore, the developed sensor demonstrates strong applicability for glucose detection in real samples of human blood plasma, making it highly suitable for practical use. The results indicate that the material is promising for the further development of nickel-based sensors.

Synthesis of Co3O4 electrodes by electrochemical deposition for water splitting reaction

Introduction: The use of Ni foam substrates for the growth of catalysts is a common practice in electrochemical water splitting reactions, although their stability in some electrolytes can be problematic, hindering the scalability of synthesis. This study aims to explore alternative substrates for catalyst growth, focusing on cobalt oxide (Co3O4) due to its potential in enhancing electrochemical water splitting efficiency. Methods: Cobalt oxide (Co3O4) was synthesized on various conductive substrates including fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), indium-doped tin oxide (ITO), and carbon cloth (CC), employing electrochemical deposition techniques. The morphological and crystalline properties of the Co3O4 coatings on these substrates were characterized and analyzed to understand their influence on the catalyst's performance in water splitting reactions. Results: The electrochemical deposition resulted in a more condensed coverage of Co3O4 on the CC substrate, attributed to the crystal's oriented aggregation. The crystallization and lattice development of Co3O4 varied significantly across different substrates, exhibiting high crystallization on FTO and ITO substrates but poorer crystallization on the CC substrate. Notably, the Co3O4/CC electrode demonstrated superior performance in hydrogen evolution reaction, achieving the lowest overpotential of -382 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2. Conclusion: The findings suggest that carbon cloth (CC) presents a promising alternative to Ni foam substrates for the growth of Co3O4 catalysts in electrochemical water splitting applications. The enhanced performance of Co3O4/CC electrodes, particularly in terms of overpotential and crystallization behavior, highlights the potential of using CC substrates to improve the efficiency and scalability of water splitting reactions for sustainable hydrogen production.

Engineering hierarchical snowflake-like multi-metal selenide catalysts anchored on Ni foam for high-efficiency and stable overall water splitting.

The development of excellent bifunctional electrocatalysts is an effective way to promote the industrial application of electrolytic water. In this work, a free-standing W-doped cobalt selenide (W-CoSe300/NF) electrocatalyst with a snowflake-like structure supported on nickel foam was prepared by a hydrothermal-selenization strategy. Benefiting from the high specific surface area of the 3D snowflake-like structure and the regulation of tungsten doping on the electronic structure of the metal active center, W-CoSe300/NF shows remarkable electrocatalytic water decomposition performance. In 1.0 M KOH, the W-CoSe300/NF electrocatalyst achieved an efficient HER and OER at a current density of 50 mA cm-2 with overpotentials as low as 84 mV and 283 mV, respectively. More importantly, W-CoSe300/NF acts as both the anode and cathode of the electrolytic tank, requiring only a potential of 1.54 V to obtain 10 mA cm-2 and can operate continuously for more than 120 hours at this current density. This study proposes a new way for the design of high efficiency and affordable bifunctional electrocatalysts.

V-Doping coupled H2O2 pre-oxidation synergistically promote NiCo-LDH for urea oxidation-assisted hydrogen production

A NiCoV layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheet array structure grown on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) uniformly modified Ni foam was synthesized through V-doping coupled H2O2 pre-oxidation using a hydrothermal method.