Preparation of Au nanosheets supported on Ni foam and its electrocatalytic performance towards NaBH4 oxidation.

The unique Au nanosheets (Au NSs) are electrodeposited uniformly on Ni foam substrate via a one-step potentiostatic electrodeposition technique. The electrode is characterized by scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer and X-ray diffractometer. It shows a unique open structure allowing the full utilization of Au surface active sites. NaBH 4 electrooxidation in KOH solution on the Au NSs/Ni foam electrode are studied by linear sweep voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The electrode exhibits a high catalytic performance outperforming the Au particles made by the same method. At the oxidation potential of 0 V, the current density of 827 mA cm −2 can be achieved on Au NSs/Ni foam electrode, and only 219 mA cm −2 was obtained on Au NPs/Ni foam electrode, indicating that the catalytic activity is increased by 278%, which is attributed to the porous 3D structure, ensuring the full utilization of Au surfaces. Besides, H 2 generated by NaBH 4 hydrolysis can quickly diffuse away from the electrode, preventing surface active sites of Au from blocking by adsorbed gas bubbles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]