Three-dimensional Porous Nickel Research Articles

Peroxymonosulfate activation by iron-cobalt bimetallic phosphide modified nickel foam for efficient dye degradation

Novel catalysts with multiple active sites and rapid separation are required to effectively activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the removal of organic pollutants from water. Therefore, an integrated catalyst for PMS activation was developed by directly forming Co–Fe Prussian blue analogs on a three-dimensional porous nickel foam (NF), which were subsequently phosphorylated to obtain cobalt-iron bimetallic phosphide (FeCoP@NF). The FeCoP@NF/PMS system efficiently degraded dye wastewater within 20 min. The system exhibited excellent catalytic degradation over a broad pH range and at high dye concentrations due to the presence of unique asymmetrically charged Coa+ and Pb− dual active sites formed by cobalt phosphides within FeCoP@NF. These active sites significantly enhanced the catalytic activity of PMS. The activation mechanism of PMS involves phosphorylation that accelerates electron transfer from FeCoP@NF to PMS, to generate SO4·–, ·OH, O2·–, and 1O2 active species. Three-dimensional FeCoP@NF could be readily recycled and showed good stability for PMS activation. In this study, a highly efficient, stable, and readily recyclable integrated catalyst was developed. This catalyst system effectively resolves the separation and recovery issues associated with conventional powder catalysts and has a wide range of potential applications in wastewater treatment.

Composite of a Stabilizer-Free Trimetallic Prussian Blue Analogue (PBA) and Polyaniline (PANI) on 3D Porous Nickel Foam for the Detection of Nitrofurantoin in Biological Fluids.

Herein, a facile and highly effective nonenzymatic electrochemical sensing system is designed for the detection of the antibacterial drug nitrofurantoin (NFT). This electrocatalyst is a combination of a trimetallic Prussian blue analogue and conductive polyaniline coated onto a three-dimensional porous nickel foam substrate. A comprehensive set of physicochemical analyses have verified the successful synthesis. The fabricated electrochemical sensor exhibits an impressively low limit of detection (0.096 nM) and quantification (0.338 nM, S/N = 3.3), coupled with a wide linear range spanning from 0.1 nM to 5 mM and a sensitivity of 13.9 μA nM-1 cm-2. This excellent performance is attributed to the collaborative effects of conducting properties of polyaniline (PANI) and the remarkable redox behavior of the Prussian blue analogue (PBA). When both are integrated into the nickel foam, they create a significantly enlarged surface area with numerous catalytic active sites, enhancing the sensor's efficiency. The sensor demonstrates a high degree of specificity for NFT, while effectively minimizing responses to potential interferences such as flutamide, ascorbic acid, glucose, dopamine, uric acid, and nitrophenol, even when present in 2-3-fold higher concentrations. Moreover, to validate its practical utility, the sensor underwent real sample analysis using synthetic urine, achieving outstanding recovery rates of 118 and 101%.

A facile paper-based chromatography coupled Au nanodendrite on nickel foam for application in separation and SERS measurement

A simple paper-based chromatography coupling with nickel foam decorated Au nanodendrite (PP-AuND/NiF) was fabricated for simultaneous separation and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of Rhodamine-6G (R6G) from a mixture of analytes. The three-dimensional porous nickel foam (NiF) was employed as a sampling diffusion platform, and AuND with a high surface active area beneficial for SERS efficiency was electro-deposited directly onto the NiF frame. The structure of AuND/NiF was characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The AuND/NiF could detect R6G at 0.1 nM, and the enhancement factor was 1.84 x 106. The AuND/NiF was durable, with a slight signal decrease after 6 m of drop-testing. Also, upon three days of exposure to ambient air, the signal droped only 3.35 %. Subsequently, the PP-AuND/NiF was constructed by directly situating AuND/NiF on a paper strip, serving as a sample in and out to AuND/NiF. A mixture of two SERS active compounds, namely 2-Naphthalenethiol (2-NpSH) and Rhodamine 6G (R6G), was prepared in ethanol: water (1:1) solution to evaluate PP-AuND/NiF separation capability. Raman measurements along different distances of AuND/NiF were performed, and the signal of 2-NpSH was dismissed after 3.0 mm, while R6G’s signals were observed throughout AuND/NiF. In general, the PP-AuND/NiF demonstrated effective separation and SERS measurement of analytes in a mixture, which could be applicable for more complex samples in the future, especially in clinical analysis.

In Situ Preparation of Three-Dimensional Porous Nickel Sulfide as a Battery-Type Supercapacitor.

A one-step sulfurization method to fabricate Ni3S2 nanowires (Ni3S2 NWs) directly on a Ni foam (NF) was developed as a simple, low-cost synthesis method for use as a supercapacitor (SC), aimed at optimizing energy storage. Ni3S2 NWs have high specific capacity and are considered a promising electrode material for SCs; however, their poor electrical conductivity and low chemical stability limit their applications. In this study, highly hierarchical three-dimensional porous Ni3S2 NWs were grown directly on NF by a hydrothermal method. The feasibility of the use of Ni3S2/NF as a binder-free electrode for achieving high-performance SCs was examined. Ni3S2/NF exhibited a high specific capacity (255.3 mAh g-1 at a current density of 3 A g-1), good rate capability (2.9 times higher than that of the NiO/NF electrode), and competitive cycling performance (capacity retention of specific capacity of 72.17% after 5000 cycles at current density of 20 A g-1). Owing to its simple synthesis process and excellent performance as an electrode material for SCs, the developed multipurpose Ni3S2 NWs electrode is expected to be a promising electrode for SC applications. Furthermore, the synthesis method of self-growing Ni3S2 NW electrodes on 3D NF via hydrothermal reactions could potentially be applied to the fabrication of SC electrodes using a variety of other transition metal compounds.

Vertically aligned nickel-iron-phosphide nanosheets on three-dimensional porous nickel foam for overall water splitting

A low-cost, earth-abundant and efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall electrochemical water splitting is an important development in the field of electrochemistry. In this work, nickel-iron phosphide (NiFeP) nanosheets on three-dimensional (3D) porous interconnected nickel foam with rich active sites are processed by two-step synthesis. Conversion of nickel foam to nickel iron layered double hydroxide (NiFeLDH) by low-temperature hydrothermal reaction followed by thermal phosphidation using red phosphorus as the source. The thermal phosphidation process is optimized with respect to temperature and duration. The electrochemical performances of the electrocatalyst are strongly depends on the phosphidation temperature and duration. The NiFeP (NFP) electrocatalyst synthesized at 500 °C for 30 mins (NFP500–30) shows the overall water splitting voltage of 1.69 V at 50 mA/cm2 in 1.0 M KOH. The improvement in electrocatalyst performance is attributed to the Fe substitution, vertically aligned nanostructure surface with abundant active sites and 3D porous interconnect network structure. The electrocatalyst exhibits robust durability with high conductivity and excellent corrosion resistance.

Preparation of Eco-Friendly High-Performance Manganese Dioxide Supercapacitors by Linear Sweep Voltammetry

In this paper, the non-polluting, non-toxic, and eco-friendly material-MnO2 electrodes were deposited on three-dimensional porous nickel (Ni) foam by linear sweep voltammetry, and the entire electrodeposition process did not require sintering of the material, which was fast and convenient while avoiding unnecessary energy consumption and thus was environmentally friendly. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy were used to examine the surface and microscopic characteristics of each sample (TEM). Chronoamperometry (CA), cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were then used to determine the electrochemical characteristics of the manufactured samples. The result suggests that the MnO2-sv80 electrode sample at a scan rate of 80 mV/s−1 has excellent performance for the supercapacitor electrode. The specific capacitance was as high as 531.4 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 and remained at 223.2 F g−1 at an ultra-high current density of 20 A g−1, with capacitance retention of 42%.

Facile fabrication of binder-free photoelectrode for sensitive glucose sensing

A novel carbon nitride particle-decorated three-dimensional porous nickel foam (CN/NF) was fabricated by a simple thermal polymerization deposition method for photoelectrochemical glucose detection. In this PEC sensing system, the synergetic effect of the photoactive CN and conductive current collector NF with multi-charge transfer channels contributed to the efficient separation of photoexcited charge carriers. The CN/NF electrode showed an excellent response for glucose detection and good anti-interference properties. A wide linear detection up to 1000 μM and sensitivity of 460.2 μA cm−2 mM−1 were obtained. This work provides a new strategy for designing binder-free electrodes for PEC sensing.

Tellurium-Incorporated Nickel-Cobalt Layered Double Hydroxide and Its Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Transition-metal-based layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have attracted substantial attention as highly efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts because they are earth-abundant, low-cost, and environmentally friendly materials with favorable adsorption/desorption energies for intermittent reactants. However, the application of these LDHs as high-performance electrocatalysts is often hindered by their relatively sluggish electronic transport kinetics resulting from their intrinsically low conductivity. Here, we report the effects of incorporating a metalloid into transition metal LDHs on their electrocatalytic activity. In this study, Te-incorporated NiCo LDH (<i>χ</i>Te-NiCo LDH) was grown on a three-dimensional porous nickel foam (NF) using a facile solvothermal method with <i>χ</i> = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8. The crystal structure and surface nanostructure were investigated by X-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. A homogeneous nanosheet structure on the NF was clearly observed for the NiCo LDH and <i>χ</i>Te-NiCo (<i>χ</i> = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6) LDHs. However, irregular and collapsed nanostructures were found on the surface of the NF when the Te precursor ratio (<i>χ</i>) exceeded 0.6. The electrocatalytic OER properties were analyzed by linear sweep voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The amount of Te used in the electrocatalytic reaction was found to play a crucial role in improving the catalytic activity. The optimum Te amount (<i>χ</i>) introduced into the NiCo LDH is discussed with respect to the OER performance.

High energy storage MnO2@C fabricated by ultrasonic-assisted stepwise electrodeposition and vapor carbon coating

A new structure of MnO2 was designed by ultrasonic-assisted step-by-step electrodeposition on the three-dimensional porous nickel foam skeleton, and a simple carbon coating was designed to further improve the conductivity and stability of the electrode material, and apply it as a self-standing electrode without binder or conductive agent (P-C-MnO2@C). This electrode material has two different morphologies of nanorods and nanosheets, and the unique structure realizes fast transportation kinetics, which is conducive to high-capacity and fast Li+ and Na+ storage. Carbon coating significantly improves the conductivity of the material and can alleviate the volume change of MnO2 during ion insertion/extraction. P-C-MnO2@C has high capacity, rate performance and cycle performance in both supercapacitors (340 F g−1 at 20 A g−1) and lithium-ion battery anodes (1181 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 1 A g−1), indicating that it is a promising energy storage material.

Controllable syngas production on gold nanowires/nickel foam electrode in non-aqueous system

A hierarchical electrode is prepared with Au nanowires grown on nickel foam. With large specific active surface area, it is used for producing syngas (H2/CO) with controllable ratio, through electrochemical process in DMF. The synthetic innovation lies in the use of 3-cyanopropyltriethoxysilane, to achieve the adsorption of appropriate amount of Au seeds for the one-dimensional growth of ultrathin Au nanowires (d ≈ 5 nm). With the nanowires forest on the three-dimensional porous nickel foam substrate, syngas is produced by electro-catalysis with high overall Faradic efficiency and tunable H2/CO ratios. This synthetic strategy opens a facile way to synthesize the hierarchical nanostructured materials, and broaden the choice of the catalysts for electrochemical applications.

A Low-Cost Iron-Based Current Collector for Alkaline Battery Electrodes

The use of three-dimensional porous nickel foam as the current collector of the nickel hydroxide electrode adds significantly to the cost of the nickel-based alkaline rechargeable batteries. Although iron is considerably less expensive than nickel, iron corrodes at the operating potential of the nickel hydroxide electrode. We have found that a 70–100 nm thick thermal coating of cobalt ferrite spinel protects the iron from corrosion. Such a coated iron substrate was found to be stable against corrosion even when polarized anodically at 10 mA cm−2 in 30% potassium hydroxide electrolyte for 1000 h. While the thermal coating of cobalt ferrite protected iron against corrosion, incorporation of lithium ions into the coating was found to enhance the electrical conductivity of the coating. XPS and EXAFS studies confirmed that the enhanced conductivity resulted from an increase in the population of Co3+ in the ferrite spinel lattice. An inexpensive iron (steel) substrate protected by such a coating when used as a nickel hydroxide battery electrode exhibited a specific capacity of 0.25 Ah g−1 at C/5 discharge rate, comparable to a nickel hydroxide electrode based on a relatively expensive nickel foam substrate. The steel-based electrode also exhibited no noticeable degradation over 150 cycles at C/2 rate. This demonstration of a robust and economical steel substrate presents a unique opportunity for reducing the cost of the nickel hydroxide battery electrode in alkaline batteries.

Plasma Transforming Ni(OH)2 Nanosheets into Porous Nickel Nitride Sheets for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution

Nickel nitride (Ni3N) is a superior hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER) catalyst, while the nitrogen source is usually ammonia and the reaction temperature is high during the synthesis process. Herein, we employed an innovative method to obtain 3D porous nickel nitride nanosheet on Ni foam (Ni3N/NF) by transforming Ni(OH)2 nanosheets in N2-H2 glow discharge plasma. The obtained Ni3N/NF displays a high HER activity with a small overpotential of 44 mV and a low Tafel slope of 46 mV dec-1, which is competitive to Pt/C catalyst. Both the test data and simulation results prove that active ions and radicals in plasma play essential roles in achieving the facile nitridation, as well as building a nanostructured morphology over the Ni3N/NF surface. The unique synthesis method opens new avenues for metal nitrides of HER catalysts and beyond.

High Specific Capacitance of the Electrodeposited MnO2 on Porous Foam Nickel Soaked in Alcohol and its Dependence on Precursor Concentration.

In this work, we used the mixed solution of manganese acetate and sodium sulfate to deposit manganese dioxide on the three-dimensional porous nickel foam that was previously soaked in alcohol, and then the effects of solution concentrations on their capacitance properties were investigated. The surface morphology, microstructure, elemental valence and other information of the material were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), etc. The electrochemical properties of the material were tested by Galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD), Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Chronoamperometry (CA), Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), etc. The MnO2 electrode prepared at lower concentrations can respectively reach a specific capacitance of 529.5 F g−1 and 237.3 F g−1 at the current density of 1 A g−1 and 10 A g−1, and after 2000 cycles, the capacity retention rate was still 79.8% of the initial capacitance, and the energy density can even reach 59.4 Wh Kg−1, while at the same time, it also has a lower electrochemical impedance (Rs = 1.18 Ω, Rct = 0.84 Ω).

Titanium Oxide (TiO2) Nanoparticles Decorated ThreeDimensional Porous Nickel Foam Electrode for Non-Enzymatic Electrochemical Sensing of Glucose

Titanium Oxide (TiO2) Nanoparticles Decorated ThreeDimensional Porous Nickel Foam Electrode for Non-Enzymatic Electrochemical Sensing of Glucose

Facile fabrication of 3D porous nickel networks for electro-oxidation of methanol and ethanol in alkaline medium

Abstract Porous metals are recently gaining interest in various fields with lots of advantages of high conductivity, high surface area, good permeability and light weight properties. In present study, a novel three-dimensional porous nickel films (3DNFs) have been efficiently fabricated by controllable electrodeposition of Ni micro-particles using hydrogen bubbles as the template at ambient temperature and pressure. The morphologies and microstructures of products were analyze by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), respectively. The formation mechanism of 3DNFs was firstly explored by time sequential experiments. In addition, electrochemical measurements indicate that the obtained 3DNFs possess great electrocatalytic properties for methanol and ethanol oxidation reaction due to the high surface area and outstanding open porous structures. Thus, the great cycle life and catalytic properties of product indicate the great prospect of the promising catalyst with wide applications in catalysis, sensors and purification.

Three-Dimensional Porous Nickel Frameworks Anchored with Cross-Linked Ni(OH)2 Nanosheets as a Highly Sensitive Nonenzymatic Glucose Sensor

A facile and scalable in situ microelectrolysis nanofabrication technique is developed for preparing cross-linked Ni(OH)2 nanosheets on a novel three-dimensional porous nickel template (Ni(OH)2@3DPN). For the constructed template, the porogen of NaCl particles not only induces a self-limiting surficial hot corrosion to claim the "start engine stop" mechanism but also serves as the primary battery electrolyte to greatly accelerate the growth of Ni(OH)2. As far as we know, the microelectrolysis nanofabrication is superior to the other reported Ni(OH)2 synthesis methods due to the mild condition (60 °C, 6 h, NaCl solution, ambient environment) and without any post-treatment. The integrated Ni(OH)2@3DPN electrode with a highly suitable microstructure and a porous architecture implies a potential application in electrochemistry. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, the electrode was employed for nonenzymatic glucose sensing, which exhibits an outstanding sensitivity of 2761.6 μA mM-1 cm-2 ranging from 0.46 to 2100 μM, a fast response, and a low detection limit. The microelectrolysis nanofabrication is a one-step, binder-free, entirely green, and therefore it has a distinct advantage to improve clean production and reduce energy consumption.

Self-Supported Porous NiSe2 Nanowrinkles as Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Overall Water Splitting

Developing low cost, highly active, and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting is significant for sustainable energy systems. Herein, we report the synthesis of three-dimensional porous nickel diselenide nanowrinkles anchored on nickel foam through fabricating nickel oxalate nanosheets on nickel foam by immersion, followed by selenization under a selenium vapor atmosphere. The hybrid material exhibits superior hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction performances with high activity (low overpotential), favorable kinetics, and outstanding durability in alkaline solutions. An overpotential of merely 166 mV is needed to reach 10 mA cm–2 for hydrogen evolution reaction and 235 mV for oxygen evolution reaction. The NiOOH species formed at the NiSe2 surface serves as the catalytic sites. Moreover, the electrolyzer only needs a cell voltage of 1.64 V to deliver 10 mA cm–2 for overall water splitting and shows excellent long-term stability (80 h at 10 mA cm–2). The uniqu...

Superb Pseudocapacitance Based on Three-Dimensional Porous Nickel Oxide Modified with Iridium Oxide

The need for environmentally compatible, less polluting, and more efficient energy systems has spurred extensive research into the development of batteries and other energy storage devices. Here, we report on a novel three-dimensional (3D) porous nickel modified with iridium oxide (IrO2) toward the design of a high-performance pseudocapacitor. The 3D porous nickel is grown directly onto a Ni plate via a facile electrochemical deposition method assisted by the simultaneously formed hydrogen bubble template. The effects of the electrodeposition time and the current density are systemically investigated, revealing that 3.0 A cm–2 and 150 s are the optimal conditions for the growth of the 3D porous nickel with the highest active surface area, which is subsequently modified with different quantities of IrO2. The electrodeposited 3D porous Ni network structure serves as a suitable template to accommodate the cast iridium chloride precursor and to anchor the formed IrO2 during the subsequent thermal treatment. T...

Hydrogen evolution assisted deposition of a three-dimensional porous nickel film for the electrocatalytic oxidation of histamine

The authors describe an electrochemical sensor for ultrasensitive voltammetric of histamine (HA) by using a gold electrode that was modified with a film consisting of three-dimensional activated microporous nickel (AMPNi/GE). The porous nickel film was deposited on the electrode by hydrogen evolution assisted electrodeposition. The sensor was characterized via scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry in order to evaluate its morphology, composition and electrochemical properties. The pore size and wall thickness of the nickel skeleton were tailored by optimizing the concentration of the plating solution, operating temperature, and deposition time. Under the optimum conditions and in 0.1 M NaOH solution at a typical potential of 0.63 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) at a scan rate of 100 mV s−1, the sensor gives an analytical response over the 10 nM to 80 μM HA concentration range, with a 4.2 nM detection limit (S/N = 3) and a 2.38 μA·μM−1·cm−2 sensitivity. The method is sensitive, repeatable, and the sensor is stable.

Three-dimensional porous nickel supported Sn–O–C composite thin film as anode material for lithium-ion batteries

A 3D porous Ni/Sn–O–C composite thin film anode is electrodeposited from organic electrolyte containing LiPF6 and exhibits satisfactory electrochemical performance.