Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation of Titanium in Ni and Cu Hydroxide Suspensions towards Preparation of Electrocatalysts for Urea Oxidation

The increasing climate crisis requires an improvement in renewable energy technologies. One of them are fuel cells, devices that are capable of generating electricity directly from the chemical reaction that is taking place inside of them. Despite the advantages of these solutions, a lack of the appropriate materials is holding them back from commercialization. This research shows preliminary results from a simple way to prepare black TiO(2) coatings, doped with Cu or Ni using the plasma electrolytic oxidation process, which can be used as anodes in urea-fueled fuel cells. They show activity toward urea oxidation, with a maximum current density of 130 μA cm(−2) (@1 V vs. Hg|HgO) observed for Cu-enhanced TiO(2) and low potential of only 0.742 V (Vs Hg|HgO) required for 50 μA cm(−2) for Ni-enhanced TiO(2). These results demonstrate how the PEO process can be used for the preparation of TiO(2)-based doped materials with electrocatalytic properties toward urea electrooxidation.