Nanocrystalline Ni–Cu Electroplated Alloys Cathodes for Hydrogen Generation in Phosphate-Buffered Neutral Electrolytes

The use of hydrogen as a green fuel alongside an environmentally friendly electrolyte is the most promising technology required for the conversion and storage of renewable energies and the transition to a low carbon future. Nanocrystalline Ni–Cu alloys have been electroplated onto copper electrodes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of bio- and tribo-corrosion Vol. 6; no. 4
Main Authors Negem, Mosaad, Nady, H., Dunnill, C. W.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cham Springer International Publishing 2020
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Alloys
Biomaterials
Cathodes
Cathodic polarization
Chemistry and Materials Science
Copper
Corrosion
Corrosion and Coatings
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
Electrode polarization
Electrolytes
Hydrogen
Hydrogen evolution reactions
Hydrogen production
Materials Science
Nanocrystals
Nickel base alloys
Scanning electron microscopy
Solid Mechanics
Spectrum analysis
Tribology
X-ray diffraction
X-ray spectroscopy
Polarization
Electrocatalyst
HER
Ni–Cu alloys
Ultrasound
EIS
Nanocrystalline cathode
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Summary:The use of hydrogen as a green fuel alongside an environmentally friendly electrolyte is the most promising technology required for the conversion and storage of renewable energies and the transition to a low carbon future. Nanocrystalline Ni–Cu alloys have been electroplated onto copper electrodes and characterized via scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The electrocatalytic performance of the electroplated Ni–Cu alloys cathodes for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was investigated using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cathodic polarization measurements in the PBNE. The results demonstrate that the nanocrystalline Ni–Cu alloys cathodes have high electrocatalytic efficiency for HER. The overpotential of HER required to reach a catalytic current density of 10.0 mA/cm 2 was 284 mV vs. RHE. The most active cathode was a 30:70 (Atom ratio) Ni:Cu alloy in the PBNE and had 1.5 times higher than standard Pt/C which can be applied as a cathode for H 2 production in the industrial water electrolyzer, potentially increasing the efficiency of devices and thus lowering the cost of green hydrogen production. Graphic Abstract
ISSN:2198-4220
2198-4239
DOI:10.1007/s40735-020-00413-3