Synthesis, characterization, and investigation of electrocatalytic properties of CuCoSe2 structures

In this thesis, CoCuSe2 was synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method and used in the construction of carbon paste electrodes. Then, the electrode surface was decorated with platinum nanoparticles. Structural analysis of CoCuSe2 nanostructures X-ray diffractometry (XRD) with PANanalytical Empyrean device, morphological features Scanning electron microscope (SEM) with FESEM FEI Quanta 450 device, chemical structure X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) with Thermo Scientific K-Alpha device and Thermo Nicolet Characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) with the 6700 branded device. The electrochemical activity of the obtained nanocomposite was carried out by examining the oxidation reaction of formaldehyde. For this purpose, electrode composition, Pt cycle number, Pt concentration and supporting electrolyte concentration were optimized. Under optimum conditions, the prepared electrode showed much higher electrocatalytic activity than the plain CPE, CoCuSe2/CPE, Pt/CPE and Pt/CoCuSe2/CPE electrodes. To our knowledge, this is the first study on the use of CoCuSe2 and Pt nanocomposites in formaldehyde oxidation. Since this synthesized catalyst surface improves the catalytic activity for formaldehyde oxidation, this material is a promising candidate in fuel cell applications and for the removal of formaldehyde from aqueous solutions.