TY - JOUR
T1 - Electrocatalytic and structural investigation of trimetallic NiFeMo bifunctional electrocatalyst for industrial alkaline water electrolysis
AU - Frederiksen, Morten Linding
AU - Oglou, Ramadan Chalil
AU - Lauritsen, Jeppe Vang
AU - Bentien, Anders
AU - Nielsen, Lars Pleth
PY - 2024/4
Y1 - 2024/4
N2 - In pursuit of sustainable hydrogen production, alkaline water electrolysis offers fossil-free technology for generating hydrogen. Exploring new non-precious metal electrocatalysts plays a crucial role in this endeavor. Herein, we investigate a trimetallic NiFeMo material on a nickel foam support, serving as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for catalyzing both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Scanning electron microscopy reveals a nanosheet array structure with a uniform distribution of Ni, Fe, and Mo compounds on the electrode surface. Furthermore, the chemical surface composition of the pristine and spent electrodes is elucidated via x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, displaying primarily oxidized species on the electrocatalyst surface. Bifunctional performance is assessed in a three-electrode setup, unveiling overpotentials of 70 mV for the HER and 140 mV for the OER, in a 30 wt% KOH electrolyte at 90 °C. Additionally, in an industrial electrolysis cell, the activated electrode is evaluated as cathode and anode for 28 days, which decreased the overpotential of 330–350 mV at 200 mA cmgeo−2 compared with pristine nickel foam. The performance increase of the electroplated coating is attributed to the increased surface area and enhanced intrinsic activity. The electrolysis cell experiences a ∼6 % voltage loss during the experiment, indicating its robustness and suitability for industrial alkaline electrolysis applications.
AB - In pursuit of sustainable hydrogen production, alkaline water electrolysis offers fossil-free technology for generating hydrogen. Exploring new non-precious metal electrocatalysts plays a crucial role in this endeavor. Herein, we investigate a trimetallic NiFeMo material on a nickel foam support, serving as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for catalyzing both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Scanning electron microscopy reveals a nanosheet array structure with a uniform distribution of Ni, Fe, and Mo compounds on the electrode surface. Furthermore, the chemical surface composition of the pristine and spent electrodes is elucidated via x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, displaying primarily oxidized species on the electrocatalyst surface. Bifunctional performance is assessed in a three-electrode setup, unveiling overpotentials of 70 mV for the HER and 140 mV for the OER, in a 30 wt% KOH electrolyte at 90 °C. Additionally, in an industrial electrolysis cell, the activated electrode is evaluated as cathode and anode for 28 days, which decreased the overpotential of 330–350 mV at 200 mA cmgeo−2 compared with pristine nickel foam. The performance increase of the electroplated coating is attributed to the increased surface area and enhanced intrinsic activity. The electrolysis cell experiences a ∼6 % voltage loss during the experiment, indicating its robustness and suitability for industrial alkaline electrolysis applications.
KW - Alkaline water electrolysis
KW - Bifunctional electrodes
KW - Electroplating
KW - Industrial conditions
KW - Non-noble electrocatalyst
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85186271741&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.electacta.2024.143988
DO - 10.1016/j.electacta.2024.143988
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85186271741
SN - 0013-4686
VL - 482
JO - Electrochimica Acta
JF - Electrochimica Acta
M1 - 143988
ER -