In situ etching modification of graphite felt electrode and its electrochemical performance in biomass liquid-catalyst fuel cell system.

This article focuses on the in situ etching modification of graphite felt (GF) electrodes to enhance their electrochemical performance in biomass liquid-catalyst fuel cell (LCFC) systems. The modification involves a carbothermal reduction process using nickel oxide (NiO)/Ni redox reactions, which creates a porous GF structure with significantly increased surface area and improved hydrophilicity due to more oxygen-containing functional groups. These structural and chemical changes reduce mass transfer and charge-transfer resistances, enhance redox reaction kinetics, and improve ion transport, resulting in a doubling of output power density to about 16 mW/cm² under optimized conditions. The study demonstrates that the modified etched graphite felt (EGF) electrodes maintain stability and superior performance across various operating parameters, suggesting their potential for advancing LCFC technology and other electrochemical applications.