Promotional impact of RuO2 on CuO/Al2O3 bifunctional catalyst towards electro-oxidation of hydrazine and water

Hydrazine electro-oxidation (HzEO) and water oxidation reaction (WOR) offer high energy conversion efficiency and applicability in electrolysis cells and direct hydrazine fuel cells (DHFC). However, the unavailability of affordable and robust catalysts hinders the widespread commercialization of these devices. In this work, RuO2-CuO/Al2O3 ternary composites, synthesized by co-impregnation technique are presented as efficient novel electrocatalysts for HzEO and WOR. Average crystallite size of 59.2 nm, enlarged electrochemical surface area i.e., 0.87 cm2, nanosized pores and higher oxygen vacancies indicated a more facile and super-efficient catalysis phenomenon over ternary catalysts. Electrochemical analysis perceived via voltammetric cycling and impedance measurements complimented the structural modifications and produced an enhanced electrocatalytic output in alkaline environment. Higher diffusion coefficient (10.4 × 10 4 cm2 s−1), larger rate constant (6.3 × 10−7 cm s−1), reduced Rct (5.1 kΩ), and enhanced current density (9.3 mA cm−2) suggested a feasible and proficient catalysis mechanism over the 1.0% RuO2-CuO/Al2O3 electrode. Robust reactions occurred on the RuO2-CuO/Al2O3 catalysts paved a pathway towards their extensive electrochemical investigations for energy conversion processes.