Name: Performance Characterization of a Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cell with Au-Electroplated Carbon Fiber Electrode
Uploaded: 2023-10-20T12:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Performance Characterization of a Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cell with Au-Electroplated Carbon Fiber Electrode at JoVE.com

performance characterization of a hydrogen peroxide fuel cell with au-electroplated carbon fiber electrode

探索用于过氧化氢燃料电池的创新 3D 电极

A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that utilizes fuel and oxidant to convert chemicals into electrical energy. FCs have higher energy conversion efficiency than traditional combustion engines since they are not bound by the Carnot Cycle1. By utilizing fuels such as hydrogen (H2)2, borohydride-hydrogen (NaBH4)3, and ammonia (NH3)4, FCs have become a promising energy source that is environmentally clean and can achieve high performance, offering significant potential to reduce human dependence on fossil fuels. However, FC technology faces specific challenges. One prevalent issue is the internal role of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) in the FC system, which acts as a safeguard against internal short circuits. The integration of an electrolytic membrane contributes to increased fabrication costs, internal circuit resistance, and architectural complexity5. Moreover, transforming single-compartment FCs into multi-stack arrays introduces additional complications due to the intricate process of integrating flow channels, electrodes, and plates to enhance power and current outputs5.
Over the past decades, concerted efforts have been made to address these membrane-related challenges and streamline the FC system. Notably, the emergence of membraneless FC configurations using laminar co-flows at low Reynold numbers has offered an innovative solution. In such setups, the interface between two flows functions as a &#34;virtual&#34; proton-conducting membrane6. Laminar flow-based FCs (LFFCs) have been widely studied, leveraging the benefits of microfluidics7,8,9,10. However, LFFCs require stringent conditions, including high energy input for pumping laminar fuels/oxidants, mitigation of reactant crossover in fluidic streams, and optimization of hydrodynamic parameters.
Recently, H2O2 has gained interest as a potential fuel and oxidant due to its carbon-neutral nature, yielding water (H2O) and oxygen (O2) during electrooxidation and electroreduction processes at electrodes11,12. H2O2 can be mass-produced using a two-electron reduction process or by a two-electron oxidation process from water12. Subsequently, in contrast to other gaseous fuels, liquid H2O2 fuel can be integrated into existing gasoline infrastructure 5. Besides, the H2O2 disproportionation reaction makes it possible to serve H2O2 as both fuel and oxidant. Figure 1A shows a schematic structure of a facile H2O2 FC&#39;s architecture. In comparison to traditional FCs2,3,4, the H2O2 FC utilizes the advantages of device &#34;simplicity.&#34; Yamasaki et al. demonstrated membraneless H2O2 FCs, playing the role of both fuel and oxidant. The described mechanism of electrical energy generation has inspired research communities to continue this research direction6. Subsequently, electrooxidation and electroreduction mechanisms using H2O2 as a fuel and oxidant have been represented by the following reactions13,14
In the acidic media:
Anode: H2O2 &#8594; O2 + 2H+ + 2e-; Ea1 = 0.68 V vs. SHE 
Cathode: H2O2 + 2H+ + 2e- &#8594; 2H2O; Ea2 = 1.77 V vs. SHE 
Total: 2 H2O2 &#8594; 2H2O + O2
In the basic media:
H2O2 + OH- &#8594; HO2- + H2O 
Anode: HO2- + OH- &#8594; O2 + H2O + 2e-; Eb1 = 0.15 V vs. SHE 
Cathode: HO2- + H2O + 2e- &#8594; 3OH-; Eb2 = 0.87 V vs. SHE 
Total: 2 H2O2 &#8594; 2H2O + O2
Figure 1B illustrates the working principle of H2O2 FCs. H2O2 donates electrons at the anode and accepts electrons at the cathode. Electron transfer between the anode and cathode occurs through an external circuit, resulting in the generation of electricity. The theoretical open circuit potential (OCP) of H2O2 FC is 1.09 V in acidic media and 0.62 V in basic media13. However, numerous experimental results have shown lower values, reaching up to 0.75 V in acidic media and 0.35 V in basic media, compared to the theoretical OCP. This observation can be attributed to the presence of a mixed potential13. Additionally, the power and current output of H2O2 FCs cannot compete with the mentioned FCs2,3,4due to the limited catalytic selectivity of the electrodes. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that current H2O2 FC technology can outperform H2, NaBH4, and NH3 FCs in terms of overall cost, as shown in Table 1. Thus, the enhanced catalytic selectivity of electrodes for H2O2 electrooxidation and electroreduction remains a significant challenge for these devices.
In this study, we introduce a three-dimensional porous structure electrode to improve the interaction between the electrode and H2O2 fuel, aiming to increase the reaction rate and enhance power and current output. We also investigate the impact of solution pH and H2O2 concentration on the FC&#39;s performance. The electrode pair used in this study comprises a gold-electroplated carbon fiber cloth and nickel foam. Structural characterization is conducted using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), with Open Circuit Potential (OCP), polarization, and power output curves serving as the primary parameters for FC testing.

作者聚焦：用于过氧化氢燃料电池的金电镀碳纤维布电极的设计和评估 

无膜双氧水燃料电池作为一种有前途的清洁能源

We have illustrated a facial electroplating method deposit nano gold particles on the high surface area carbon cloth. The golds electroplate carbon cloth is heavy grid performance in serving as a cathode for hydrogen peroxide fuel cells. Due to the specific mechanism of membraneless hydrogen peroxide fuel cells, researchers are currently based on developing noble metal complexes as electrodes and improving the sensitive area of these electrodes by employing nanotechnology and coordination chemistry.In our research, we not only proposed the electroplating methods for fabrication high surface area for the electrodes, but also found a very important role of pH in fuel cell, which remains neglected in the previously reported research. There are a lot of techniques can be used for fabricating these nanoscale electrodes, such as physical or chemical evaporations. However, this methods are very expensive, as well as time consuming.As electrodes now need accuracy in thickness, electroplating is a very promising methods for these electrodes.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Performance Characterization of a Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cell with Au-Electroplated Carbon Fiber Electrode at JoVE.com

Performance Characterization of a Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cell with Au-Electroplated Carbon Fiber Electrode  

电镀金碳纤维电极双氧水燃料电池性能表征

首先，准备两组过氧化氢溶液。一组由具有可变pH值的1摩尔过氧化氢组成的pH梯度溶液，而另一组由pH值为1的不同浓度的过氧化氢组成的浓度梯度溶液。为了通过电化学站或ES表征燃料电池或FC的性能，首先，用去离子水清洗泡沫镍和镀金碳纤维布电极两次，然后将它们放在一边。为了获得开路电位或OCP数据，使用泡沫镍作为RE和CE，使用镀金碳纤维布作为工作电极或WE。接下来，将先前制备的适当过氧化氢溶液添加到测试烧杯中。在打开系统之前将电极连接到 ES。将程序设置为开路电位时间法，运行时间为 400 秒，采样间隔为 0.1 秒，E 上限为 1 伏，E 下限为 1 伏。运行程序以测量数据，然后关闭程序。要根据 OCP 数据测试 FC 的输出性能，请将程序设置为 LSV，OCP 为初始 E，0 V 为最终 E，分别对应开路和短路条件。运行程序以收集数据。完成后，关闭程序。在添加特定测试所需的其他溶液之前，先清洗烧杯和电极。实验完成后，将清洗过的电极存放在玻璃或塑料盒中。FC 的 OCP 耐久性决定了 pH 值为 1 的不同过氧化氢浓度表明，在所有情况下，电极都可以连续运行至少 400 秒而不会发生显着降解。发现 FC 性能对溶液 pH 值敏感。在极端酸性和碱性条件下，FC的功率输出相对较高。

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JoVE Journal

Engineering

Performance Characterization of a Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cell with Au-Electroplated Carbon Fiber Electrode

Membraneless Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cells as a Promising Clean Energy Source

In an in-depth investigation of membraneless hydrogen peroxide-based fuel cells (H2O2 FCs), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a carbon-neutral compound, is ...