Graphitic Carbon Nitride–Nickel Catalyst: From Material Characterization to Efficient Ethanol Electrooxidation

Graphitic carbon nitride (gCN(H)) is a semiconductor with high mechanical and thermal stability which provides good dispersion of metal particles. As it is resistant to corrosion, it constitutes an alternative to carbon black as a catalyst support in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), e.g., in alcohol oxidation reactions. In this research work, gCN (H)-supported catalyst has been characterized by spectroscopic (UV-vis, IR, Raman) and microscopy techniques (SEM, TEM, AFM) in order to gain deeper understanding of the relationship between material properties and electrochemical activity. Ni-doped graphitic carbon nitride (Ni/gCN(H)) was tested in electrooxidation of ethanol demonstrating comparatively high peak current density and interesting photocatalytic properties. The obtained results suggest that the improvement of the activity and selectivity of Ni-modified gCN(H) can be related to the chemical and electronic material modification, while the sample morphology and topology is preserved. Metal-support interactions account for the high photocatalytic activity, superior to that of the Pt counterpart.