Microstructures and catalytic performance of irradiated graphene supported nickel oxides

In this study, single phase of nickel oxides was synthesized using a feasible precipitation technique. The sample was irradiated by argon ion beams with pulsed plasma of kilojoules energy to induce microstructural changes in the materials before it was assembled on a graphene support as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reactions in fuel cell. Physical and electrochemical characterizations have been carried out to study the structure-property relationship of the electrocatalyst. Irradiated graphene supported nickel oxides demonstrated improved catalytic performance for the oxygen reactions due to the increased exposed surface area available as active sites resulting from the structural modification induced by the plasma radiation, apart from the high synergistic effect with graphene.