Engineered Tubular Nanocomposite Electrocatalysts Based on CuS for High-Performance, Durable Glucose Fuel Cells and Their Stack

Exploring the electrochemically active and robust nanocatalysts for the efficient glucose oxidation reaction (GOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) garners enormous interest in the development of high performance glucose fuel cells (GFCs). The bifunctional copper sulfide (CuS) nanotubes and their specific surface engineering modification with nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2) and manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanostructures evade the constrains of existing GOR and ORR catalysts, respectively. On the basis of a systematic electrochemical analysis, the fundamental intrigue on the optimization and influences of core and shell nanostructures toward GFC performances is realized. Under alkaline conditions, CuS@Ni(OH)2 and CuS@MnO2 as GOR and ORR catalysts, respectively, demonstrate the maximum GFC power density of 1.25 mW cm–2 with 300 h of durability. Furthermore, the energy harvest from a GFC stack without any major performance loss in comparison with a single cell enunciate the excellent energetic capabilities of a stack design. These findings thus provide the compatible solutions for the thriving research areas of GOR and ORR, and by coupling the aforesaid research efforts, high performance and durable GFCs are established.