Energy efficiency enhancement of ethanol electrooxidation based on zinc molybdate nanostructures in direct fuel cells

Abstract

Today, environmental pollution and energy shortages have become two main crisis for future of the world. Also, the synthesis of novel nanostructures by sonochemical methods is a promising option because of their non-toxicity and environmental friendliness. In the present study, a sonochemical method was used to synthesis novel zinc molybdate nanopowders with different precursors. The synthesis of the nanostructures was performed using sodium zinc molybdate and different salts of zinc such as zinc nitrate, zinc acetate, and zinc sulfate, as a precursor. Also, the effect of instrumental factors containing sonication power and time irradiation was optimized by the sonochemical method for synthesis of the nanostructures. The characterization of the products was accomplished by various techniques containing field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The results showed zinc nitrate precursor can be produce homogeneous nanostructures in optimized conditions. Therefore, the nano-structured zinc molybdate compound was applied for modification of a carbon paste electrode (CPE). The oxidation reaction of ethanol was selected for investigation of the electrocatalytic performance of the nano-structured modified electrode. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry were applied for the electrochemical characterization as well as stability and repeatability studies. The nano-structured modified electrode showed an improved catalytic performance for the oxidation of ethanol than the CPE. Therefore, the nanostructures can show potential applications or directions for future work. The potential applications of the modified electrode in fuel cells, sensors, and energy storage fields can be considered and also suggest areas for further research.