Carbon-supported phosphatized CuNi nanoparticle catalysts for hydrazine electrooxidation

Abstract Developing non-noble metal catalysts with high performance to reduce the cost of hydrazine fuel cells is urgent. Herein, in this study, a series of carbon-supported phosphatized CuNi catalysts (P- CuxNiy/C) are designed for hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) via high temperature phosphating process. Among them, the P Cu2Ni/C is found to be a promising candidate for hydrazine electrooxidation. Electrochemical measurement results indicate that the P Cu2Ni/C catalyst exhibits higher catalytic activity and stability for HzOR in comparison with P CuNi/C, P CuNi2/C, Cu2Ni/C, Cu/C and Ni/C catalysts. Additionally, HzOR kinetics are also investigated, and it proves that hydrazine electrooxidation on P Cu2Ni/C is a diffusion controlled irreversible process. Meanwhile, physical characterization reveals that the catalysts have doped phosphorus successfully. All results demonstrate that as-prepared P Cu2Ni/C catalyst is a promising electrocatalyst for direct hydrazine fuel cells.