Metal sulfides as anode catalysts in direct alkaline sulfide fuel cell

•Metal sulfides were proposed as anode catalysts in direct alkaline sulfide fuel cell.•All metal sulfides were effective in oxidizing sulfide in alkaline media.•CoS exhibited the highest OCV and maximum power density in a single cell.

Effective, stable, and economical anode catalysts are prerequisite for the practical use of a promising sulfide-based fuel cell platform, named direct alkaline sulfide fuel cell (DASFC). In this study, metal sulfides (MeS, Me = Mo, Fe, Co) were investigated as potential candidates suited for such a purpose. Physical and electrochemical properties of MeS catalysts were measured using X-ray diffraction (XRD), cyclic voltammetry (CV), I–V analysis, and electrochemical impedance spectrophotometry (EIS). All MeS catalysts exhibited strong catalytic activity toward sulfide oxidation at alkaline conditions, with the highest performance observed with CoS, recording maximum power density of 29.18 mW cm−2 at 70 °C. MeS catalysts, with superb sulfur tolerance, appear to be potent anode catalysts for the DASFC application.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide