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Concurrent Deposition and Exfoliation of Nickel Hydroxide Nanoflakes Using Liquid Crystal Template and Their Activity for Urea Electrooxidation in Alkaline Medium

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Abstract

Nickel hydroxide nanoflakes (Ni(OH)2-NF) were prepared by chemical deposition and in situ exfoliation of nickel hydroxide layers confined in the aqueous domain of the liquid crystalline hexagonal template of Brij®78 surfactant. Using excess of sodium borohydride as a reducing agent generates concurrent excessive dynamic hydrogen bubbles which exfoliated and fragmented the nickel hydroxide layers precipitated within the soft hexagonal template. The physicochemical characterizations of Ni(OH)2-NF by using surface area analyser, X-ray diffraction (XRD), XPS and transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed the formation of α-Ni(OH)2 nanoflakes with thickness of 2–3 nm and have about 450 m2 g−1 surface area which is 20 times higher than that for bare nickel (bare-Ni) deposited without surfactant template. The electrocatalytic activity of the Ni(OH)2-NF catalyst for urea electrolysis was studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. The Ni(OH)2-NF has shown a superior activity for the electrochemical oxidation of urea in alkaline solution and exhibits more than tenfold increase in activity in comparison with the bare-Ni deposit. The enhancement of urea electrooxidation activity was related to the superficial enhancement in the electroactive surface area of Ni(OH)2-NF. This new approach of deposition and in situ exfoliation by using liquid crystal template and hydrogen bubbles offers a new platform to nanostructuring wide range of catalysts with better catalytic performance.

Nickel hydroxide nanoflakes (Ni(OH)2-NF) catalyst for the electrochemical oxidation of urea in alkaline solution.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for funding this research group no RG-1437-015.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Electrochemistry Research Group, Chemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed A. Ghanem, Abdullah M. Al-Mayouf, Jai P. Singh & Prabhakarn Arunachalam

  2. Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering, Suez University, Suez, Egypt

    Mohamed A. Ghanem

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  1. Mohamed A. Ghanem
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  2. Abdullah M. Al-Mayouf
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  3. Jai P. Singh
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  4. Prabhakarn Arunachalam
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Correspondence to Mohamed A. Ghanem.

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Ghanem, M.A., Al-Mayouf, A.M., Singh, J.P. et al. Concurrent Deposition and Exfoliation of Nickel Hydroxide Nanoflakes Using Liquid Crystal Template and Their Activity for Urea Electrooxidation in Alkaline Medium. Electrocatalysis 8, 16–26 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12678-016-0336-8

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