In situ Fe-N-C-modified Ni foam as an electrocatalyst for glucose oxidation reaction

Abstract

Electrocatalytic glucose oxidation reaction (GOR) has emerged as a potential strategy for energy-saving hydrogen production. The limited electrocatalytic performance of utilized materials has been considered a bottleneck issue. Herein, we present the preparation of Fe-N-C catalyst-encapsulated nickel foam (Fe-N-C/NF) via a one-pot and facile hydrothermal method, employing collagen to provide a coordination environment. Electron microscopy techniques, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, positron annihilation spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations unambiguously confirm the Fe-N-C species encapsulated on the NF support. Impressively, the achieved Fe-N-C/NF electrode, possessing a high number of active sites, high kinetics, and enhanced charge transport capability, displays outstanding electrocatalytic glucose oxidation activity. The low potential values of 1.31, 1.50, and 1.70 V vs. RHE are required to reach the current density of 10, 50, and 100 mA & sdot;cm-2, respectively, which are found to be significantly lower than those of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) counterpart (e.g., 1.57, 1.75, and 1.91 V vs. RHE), implying the outstanding GOR performance of the Fe-N-C/NF material and its potential in the energy-saving hydrogen production. Moreover, the obtained catalyst exhibits stability and a lower working cell voltage for GOR in comparison to OER counterparts, suggesting an impressive application of the electrode for energy-saving hydrogen production via GOR.