3D porous nanostructured Ni 3 N-Co 3 N as a robust electrode material for glucose fuel cell.

Metal nitrides are broadly applicable in the field of electrochemistry due to their excellent electrical properties. In this study, a 3D nanostructured Ni 3 N-Co 3 N catalyst was prepared by using a versatile urea glass method, and was tested as an anode catalyst for a glucose fuel cell. The synthesized Ni 3 N-Co 3 N exhibits uniform particle dispersion in structure, morphology, and composition, and has a interpenetrating three-dimensional network structure. Notably, the Ni 3 N-Co 3 N significantly improved the catalytic activity of glucose oxidation compared to Ni 3 N, Co 3 N, and conventional activated carbon electrodes. The superior electrochemical performance could be attributed to its porous structure and unique properties, which provided a fast transport network for charge and mass transfer as well as good synergetic effect. The glucose fuel cell equipped with a Ni 3 N-Co 3 N anode achieved 30.89 W m -2 power and 97.66 A m -2 current densities at room temperature. This investigation provides potential directions for the design of cost-effective bimetallic catalysts for a wide range of glucose fuel cell applications.