Urea-treated Ti3C2Tz MXene for improved oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline fuel cells
Urea-treated Ti3C2Tz MXene for improved oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline fuel cells
Commercial fuel cell catalysts are usually based on platinum, which has cost and stability issues. Alkaline fuel cells are attractive, as alkaline media provides better oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics and allows for a wider range of materials to be used. MXenes have shown interesting properties in electrochemical applications, but they can suffer from drawbacks, including small surface areas in comparison with other catalyst supports. In this work, we use urea and thermal treatments to intercalate carbon and nitrogen species in Ti3C2Tz (where Tz stands for surface terminations), enlarging the interlayer spacing and increasing the materials’ surface area. The materials are tested for their ORR performance, and it is shown that the introduction of N–C species from the urea decomposition greatly increases the performance in comparison with bare Ti3C2. These materials can serve as more affordable alternatives to Pt/C, lowering the overall cost of fuel cells.
Alkaline fuel cells, Electrocatalysts, MXenes, Oxygen reduction reaction, Urea
Bouscarrat, Luc
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Gupta, Gaurav
98895f74-a842-44b9-a4c1-66e452961670
Dawson, Richard
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Bimbo, Nuno
53d9fc24-e2c1-4e2d-8d75-8dc640d8adda
1 June 2026
Bouscarrat, Luc
2eef42e9-c779-409f-aeb8-fb0c1071af8e
Gupta, Gaurav
98895f74-a842-44b9-a4c1-66e452961670
Dawson, Richard
e7b551fc-e0fa-42d1-97e0-92d7addc1693
Bimbo, Nuno
53d9fc24-e2c1-4e2d-8d75-8dc640d8adda
Bouscarrat, Luc, Gupta, Gaurav, Dawson, Richard and Bimbo, Nuno
(2026)
Urea-treated Ti3C2Tz MXene for improved oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline fuel cells.
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 238, [155271].
(doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.155271).
Abstract
Commercial fuel cell catalysts are usually based on platinum, which has cost and stability issues. Alkaline fuel cells are attractive, as alkaline media provides better oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics and allows for a wider range of materials to be used. MXenes have shown interesting properties in electrochemical applications, but they can suffer from drawbacks, including small surface areas in comparison with other catalyst supports. In this work, we use urea and thermal treatments to intercalate carbon and nitrogen species in Ti3C2Tz (where Tz stands for surface terminations), enlarging the interlayer spacing and increasing the materials’ surface area. The materials are tested for their ORR performance, and it is shown that the introduction of N–C species from the urea decomposition greatly increases the performance in comparison with bare Ti3C2. These materials can serve as more affordable alternatives to Pt/C, lowering the overall cost of fuel cells.
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Bouscarrat_et_al_Urea-treated_MXene_R1
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Accepted/In Press date: 24 April 2026
e-pub ahead of print date: 5 May 2026
Published date: 1 June 2026
Keywords:
Alkaline fuel cells, Electrocatalysts, MXenes, Oxygen reduction reaction, Urea
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 512378
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/512378
ISSN: 0360-3199
PURE UUID: 562319f1-770a-422a-85ae-49f2b55b4bee
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Date deposited: 26 Jun 2026 16:34
Last modified: 14 Aug 2026 02:58
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Contributors
Author:
Luc Bouscarrat
Author:
Gaurav Gupta
Author:
Richard Dawson
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