Electrolysis of liquid ammonia for hydrogen generation via PtCu alloy electrocatalysts

Abstract In this study, the PtCu bimetallic electrode is employed as the anode for the electrolysis of liquid ammonia. A simple co-doping approach is adopted to fabricate PtCu alloys with improved activity and durability. The synthesized electrocatalysts are characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The electrochemical performance, crystal structure, surface morphology, and elemental distribution of the electrodes are systematically examined. Findings demonstrate that the PtCu alloy electrodes display good catalytic activity and stability in the ammonia oxidation reaction (AOR), and the synergy between Cu and Pt markedly optimizes the catalytic performance, offering new perspectives and directions for the development of highly efficient and cost-effective catalysts for ammonia electrolysis to produce hydrogen.