High performance of electrocatalytic oxidation in direct glucose fuel cell using molybdate nanostructures synthesized by microwave-assisted method

Abstract

Zinc molybdate nanostructures (ZMNPs) were synthesized by microwave-assisted route. ZMNPs were obtained from a mixture of sodium molybdate solutions and different zinc sources. The prepared nanostructures were characterized by different techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The structural properties, phase purity, crystal systems and particles size were analyzed using FT-IR and XRD data. The morphological characteristics of the nanostructures were studied by SEM. At the next step, ZMNPs were added with a carbon paste electrode (CPE) to prepare a modified nano-structured sensor. The prepared CPE and ZMNPs/CPE catalysts were tested in direct glucose fuel cell. Electrochemical studies were performed using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry experiments. The electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose at ZMNPs/CPE was significantly enhanced compared to CPE. Therefore, ZMNPs believed to show a key role as an electrocatalytic mediator to facilitate the charge transfer for the oxidation of glucose.