Page 56 - EER-2-3

Explora: Environment

and Resource

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Nickel foam-supported nickel–cobalt layered

double hydroxide/platinum composite
electrocatalyst for ammonia oxidation reaction

Xinyu Zhao, Xinyue Wang*, Hongli Cai, Jialu Liu, Jiali Gu, Yingying Zhao,
and Liang Zhang*
Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Bohai University,
Jinzhou, Liaoning, China

Abstract
With increasing interest in direct ammonia fuel cells, designing and developing high-
activity electrocatalysts for the electrochemical ammonia oxidation reaction has
become a critical research focus. In this work, a nickel foam-supported nickel–cobalt
layered double hydroxide/platinum composite (Pt-NiCo-LDH) was synthesized
through electrochemical deposition and displacement reactions for enhanced
electrocatalytic activity. Key synthesis parameters, including reaction temperature
and chloroplatinic acid hexahydrate (H PtCl 6H O) concentration, were systematically
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optimized. Electrochemical characterization using cyclic voltammetry revealed that
*Corresponding authors: the optimal catalyst – synthesized in a solution containing 450 μL deionized water
Xinyue Wang and 1,050 μL 0.1 moL/L H PtCl ·6H O at 20°C for 8 h – showed an oxidation peak
(wangxinyue@qymail.bhu.edu.cn) 2 6 2
Liang Zhang current of 154.60 mA and a low onset potential of −0.38 V (versus mercury/mercury
(zhangliang1@qymail.bhu.edu.cn) oxide), indicating exceptional catalytic activity. The support of nickel foam provided
Citation: Zhao X, Wang X, Cai H, favorable conditions to deposit NiCo-LDH nanowires, providing sites for the growth
et al. Nickel foam-supported of platinum nanoparticles, thus promoting the catalytic activity of the Pt-(NiCo-LDH)
nickel–cobalt layered double electrocatalyst.
hydroxide/platinum composite
electrocatalyst for ammonia
oxidation reaction. Explora Environ
Resour. 2025;2(3):025170033. Keywords: Electrocatalyst; Ammonia oxidation reaction; Nanocomposite; Platinum;
doi: 10.36922/EER025170033 Nickel–cobalt layered double hydroxide
Received: April 23, 2025
Revised: June 6, 2025
Accepted: June 9, 2025 1. Introduction
Published online: June 30, 2025 With the continuous consumption of fossil fuels, the development and application of
clean energy sources have received increasing attention. Among these, hydrogen is
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Copyright: © 2025 Author(s).
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This is an Open-Access article considered one of the ideal energy carriers. However, currently, hydrogen is primarily
distributed under the terms of the produced from fossil fuels, which is accompanied by the generation and emission of
Creative Commons Attribution carbon dioxide. In addition, the application of hydrogen is also limited by challenges
License, permitting distribution,
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and reproduction in any medium, related to storage and transportation. In contrast, ammonia, owing to its high energy
provided the original work is density, rich hydrogen content, and low safety risks, has garnered significant attention.
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properly cited. On one hand, decomposing ammonia into nitrogen (N ) and hydrogen can address the
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Publisher’s Note: AccScience problems associated with hydrogen storage and transportation. On the other hand, the
Publishing remains neutral with electrochemical oxidation reaction of ammonia can be applied to remove ammonia
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional nitrogen in water bodies – thereby addressing environmental issues – and for the design
affiliations. and development of direct ammonia fuel cells. The combustion of direct ammonia
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Volume 2 Issue 3 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/EER025170033