Nanoporous Ag and Ag–Sn anodes for energy conversion in photochemical fuel cells

Nanoporous Ag and Ag–Sn anodes made from chemical dealloying and electrochemical processes were studied for energy conversion in photochemical fuel cells. The porous materials possess better catalytic performance than their nonporous counterparts. Photochemical fuel cells were made using ethanol and ethylene glycol as fuels and the porous Ag and Ag–Sn as anodes. Open circuit voltage test results show that the porous anodes are sensitive to UV light. It is concluded that the nanoporous Ag and Ag–Sn materials with high surface areas can be used for photochemical fuel cell anodes.

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► Porous Ag–Sn catalysts were prepared and studied for energy conversion.
► The highest current density obtained was 155 mA/cm2 for porous Ag anode.
► The porous Ag anode is UV-sensitive in ethylene glycol and ethanol.
► The electrochemically dealloyed Ag–Sn anode is UV-sensitive in ethanol.