Investigation of sodium borohydride oxidation on CoB/Cu and CoBW/Cu modified with Au nanoparticles

Zita Sukackienė; Aldona Balčiūnaitė; Loreta Tamašauskaitė-Tamašiūnaitė; Algirdas Selskis; Vitalija Jasulaitienė; Eugenijus Norkus

doi:10.6001/chemija.2015.26.3.1

Zita Sukackienė
Aldona Balčiūnaitė
Loreta Tamašauskaitė-Tamašiūnaitė
Algirdas Selskis
Vitalija Jasulaitienė
Eugenijus Norkus

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6001/chemija.2015.26.3.1

Keywords: gold, cobalt, tungsten, copper, galvanic displacement, borohydride oxidation

Abstract

The Au/CoB and Au/CoBW catalysts were deposited on the copper surface via electroless CoB and CoBW coating deposition followed by a spontaneous galvanic Au displacement from the HAuCl4 solution. The morphology and composition of the prepared catalysts were characterized using Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. The electrochemical behaviour of the fabricated Au/CoB/Cu and Au/CoBW/Cu catalysts was examined towards the oxidation of BH4– ions in an alkaline medium by means of Cyclic Voltammetry. The as-prepared Au/CoB/Cu and Au/CoBW/Cu catalysts exhibited a higher electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of BH4– ions as compared with that of pure Au, CoB/Cu and CoBW/Cu electrodes. The Au/CoBW/Cu catalyst with the Au loading of 5.8 μg cm–2 and with deposited Au nanoparticles in size from 7 to 40 nm has the highest mass activity (mA µgAu–1).