Ni(OH)<sub>2</sub>-SnO<sub>2</sub> at the Hybrid Interface of Zeolite-Y and rGO for Electrochemical Oxidation of Methanol and Ethanol
Nazimul Hoque, Seonghwan Lee, Young‐Bin Park, Subhasish Roy, Magdi E. A. Zaki, Kusum K. Bania
Abstract
Nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH) 2 ) decorated in the framework of zeolite-Y and combined with SnO 2, SnO 2 -Ni(OH) 2 -Y, was conceived as a cost-effective electrocatalyst for electrochemical oxidation of methanol and ethanol (MOR and EOR). Significant enhancement in the current density was observed in both the electrochemical oxidation processes on combining the SnO 2 -Ni(OH) 2 -Y with reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The maximum current density in the case of the MOR was found to be 2.2 Amg –1, while the same in the case of the EOR was found to be 2.0 Amg –1 . The prepared electrocatalyst SnO 2 -Ni(OH) 2 -Y/rGO was found to be superior in terms of stability compared to SnO 2 -Ni(OH) 2 -Y. The current density did not drop abruptly up to 1000 cycles, implying the high stability of the material under alkaline conditions. This was further evident from the chronoamperometry measurement. The linear relationship between the current density and the square root of the scan rate also suggested that both the MOR and EOR followed the diffusion-controlled mechanism. The catalyst SnO 2 -Ni(OH) 2 -Y/rGO also exhibited good methanol and ethanol tolerance up to a maximum concentration of 6 M.