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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Silica–zirconia nanoparticles were successfully synthesised using the precipitation process. The surface area and shape of the Si-ZrO2 nanoparticles were investigated using BET, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The HRTEM results demonstrate that silica was successfully integrated into ZrO2 nanoparticles with a mixture of nanorod and nanosphere shapes. The element analysis (EDX) reveals the presence of silica (14.61%) and zirconia (1.18%) nanoparticles, as well as oxygen (83.65) on the surface. The BET results demonstrate a larger surface area of 185 m2/g and pore volume (0.14 cm3/g). The XRD measurements confirmed the transition of amorphous silica into the monoclinic phase of the zirconia nanoparticles. The electrochemical characteristics of the silica–zirconia nanoparticles were tested in a potassium chloride solution. With a large specific surface area and an appropriate pore size distribution, a pair of broad and symmetric redox peaks were centred at −0.15 V and 0.6 V.

Details

Title
An Electrochemical Characterisation of Silica–Zirconia Oxide Nanostructured Materials for Fuel Cells
Author
Sigwadi Rudzani 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Mokrani Touhami 2 ; Fulufhelo, Nemavhola 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Johannesburg 1710, South Africa 
 Institute for Catalysis and Energy Solutions (ICES), University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Johannesburg 1710, South Africa; [email protected] 
 College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Johannesburg 1710, South Africa; [email protected], Department of Mechanical Engineering, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001, South Africa 
First page
26
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
23057084
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3194502270
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.