Electrodeposited nanocomposite coatings for fuel cell application

Ni-TiO2 nanocomposite coatings were prepared by the co-deposition of Ni and nanoparticles of TiO2 powder onto the surface of commercial carbon for fuel cell application, in particular the electro-oxidation of methanol. The influences of the TiO2 powder concentration and applied current density on the composition of nanocomposite coatings were investigated. The chemical composition and phase structure of coatings were studied by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), respectively. The surface morphology of deposited Ni and Ni-TiO2 coatings was studied using scanning electron microscope. The performance of the prepared electrodes towards electro-oxidation of methanol as a function of co-deposited TiO2 content was studied. The catalytic activity was found to increase with increasing TiO2 content up to 9wt.%. The chronoamperometric data showed that the stability of the fabricated electrodes towards the electro-oxidation process was improved with the content of co-deposited TiO2. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.