Preparation of nickel manganese oxide modified ni foam for anode catalyst direct urea fuel cell

¹ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok, Depok 16424, Indonesia.
² Department of Chemistry, University of Ulsan 12 Tekeunosaneop-ro 55beon-gil, Nam-gu, Ulsan, Korea.

^* Corresponding author: ivandini.tri@sci.ui.ac.id

Abstract

Renewable energy is known as environmentally friendly, such as fuel cells. Nickel is regarded as one of the most promising transition metals to be applied as an electrocatalyst in fuel cell application due to its high catalytic activity. However, the modification of nickel is required to decrease its overpotential. In the present study, the NiMn₂O₄/Ni-foam was prepared for an anode catalyst in the direct urea fuel cell. The NiMn₂O₄/Nifoam was synthesized through the hydrothermal method at 180°C for 24 h using Mn(NO₃)₂.6H₂O and Ni(NO₃)₂.6H₂O solutions as the precursors in the presence of urea. During the reaction, Ni foam was placed in the solution to undergo the reaction inside the porous of the Ni-foam. Cyclic voltammetry of the prepared NiMn₂O₄/Ni-foam electrode in a 2 M KOH solution and 0.33 M urea showed good maximum current density at 206 mA cm^-2. Furthermore, the prepared electrode was examined in a direct urea fuel cell with a solution containing 2 M KOH and 0.33 M urea in the anode chamber and a solution containing 2 M H₂O₂ and 2 M H₂SO₄ in the anode chamber. A power density of 0.304 mW cm^-2 was achieved, indicating the prepared electrode is promising to be developed for a catalyst in a direct urea fuel cell.