NickelCobalt Modified Boron-Doped Diamond as an Electrode for a Urea/H₂O₂ Fuel Cell

Among many types of fuel cells, urea/H₂O₂ fuel cells have garnered attention from the scientific community due to the advantages of urea. In connection to this, a nickel-cobalt-modified boron-doped diamond (NiCo-BDD) electrode was prepared via chronoamperometry. A Ni/Co ratio of 4:1 in solution was determined as the optimum ratio for the urea oxidation reaction. Results showed that the Ni and Co particles were homogeneously deposited on the BDD surface and deposited without any interaction between the particles. The prepared NiCo-BDD electrode for a urea fuel cell showed optimum performance with a 0.1M KOH and 0.50M urea solution as the anode electrolyte and a 2.0M H₂O₂ and 2.0M H₂SO₄ solution as the cathode electrolyte. An opencircuit voltage of 0.817 V with a power density of approximately 0.632 mW/sq cm at room temperature and excellent stability after 6 hr of application were achieved. NiCo-BDD significantly enhanced the catalytic activity of urea oxidation reaction compared with the Ni plate, unmodified BDD, Ni-BDD, and Co-BDD.