Low-Cost Nickel-based Catalyst for Electrocatalytic Splitting Of Ammonia Towards Clean Hydrogen Production
The development of efficient and selective electrocatalysts for electrochemical ammonia oxidation (eAOR), coupled with proper electrochemical processes, offers promising opportunities for the recycling of ammonia into valuable fertilizers and as a potential technology for energy production and storage applications. Noble catalysts such as platinum (Pt) are commonly used for (eAOR), due to their high catalytic activity, and tolerance to poisoning species. However, the use of noble metals as electrocatalysts can be limited by their high cost and scarcity. Therefore, ongoing research efforts are focused on developing alternative electrocatalyst materials, such as non-noble metals or metal alloys, that can offer a similar or superior catalytic activity for (eAOR) while being more economically viable. In the present work, we have developed highly efficient Ni(OH)2CuB/NF electrodes via an in-situ solvothermal method for (eAOR). Interestingly, the (eAOR) performance of Ni(OH)2CuB/N electrode shows the smallest onsite-potential and a much current density of (∼189 mA cm-2 at 0.6 V vs. RHE) in a solution composed of 1 M NH3 and 1 M KOH. Furthermore, the Ni(OH)2CuB/NF electrode demonstrated long-term (eAOR) performance stability since it stayed constant for 12000 seconds under different potentials. The obtained findings revealed that the as-prepared Ni(OH)2CuB/NF might be a promising electrode material for overall ammonia-rich wastewater management, H2 generation from wastewater, and provide an alternative route towards recycled fertilizers via generation of N-containing products.