• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.190-198
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• 2016

Application of fuel cell to produce renewable energy for commercial purpose is limited by the high cost of Pt based electrode materials. Development of inexpensive, high energetic electrode is the need of the hour to produce pollution free energy using bio-fuel through a fuel cell. Ni-Cu and Ni-CeO₂-Cu electrode materials, electro synthesized by pulse current have been developed. The surface morphology of the electrode materials is controlled by different deposition parameters in order to produce a high current from the electro-oxidation of the fuel, the ethanol. The developed materials are electrochemically characterized by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Chronoamperometry (CA) and Potentiodynamic polarization tests. The results confirm that the high current is due to their enhanced catalytic properties viz. high exchange current density (i₀), low polarization resistance (R_p) and low impedance. It is worthwhile to mention here that the addition of CeO₂ to Ni-Cu has outperformed Pt as far as the high electro catalytic properties are concerned; the exchange current density is about eight times higher than the same on Pt surface. The morphology of the electrode surface examined by SEM and FESEM exhibits that the grains are narrow and sub spherical with 3D surface, containing vacancies in between the elongated grains. The fact has enhanced more surface area for electro oxidation of the fuel, giving rise to an increase in current. Presence of Ni, CeO₂, and Cu is confirmed by the XRD and EDXS. Fuel cell fabricated with Ni-CeO₂-Cu material electrode is expected to produce clean electrical energy at cheaper rates than conventional one, using bio fuel the derived from biomass.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.115-131
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• 2016

Though battery chemistry and technology had been developed for over a hundred years back, increase in demand for storage energy, in the computer accessories, cell phones, automobile industries for future battery car and uninterrupted power supply, has made, the development of existing and new battery, as an emerging areas of research. With innovation of high energetic inexpensive Nano structure materials, a more energy efficient battery with lower cost can be competitive with the present primary and rechargeable batteries. Materials electrochemistry of electrode materials, their synthesis and testing have been explained in the present paper to find new high efficient battery materials. The paper discusses fundamental of electrochemistry in finding true cell potential, overvoltages, current, specific energy of various combinations of anode-cathode system. It also describes of finding the performance of new electrode materials by various experiments viz. i. Cyclic Voltammetry ii. Chronoamperometry iii. Potentiodynamic Polarization iv. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Research works of different battery materials scientists are discussed for the development of existing battery materials and new nano materials for high energetic electrodes. Problems and prospects of a few promising future batteries are explained.