The effect of composition of electrodeposited Ni-P alloys on the hydrogen evolution rate

The effect of composition and structure of electrodeposited nickel-phosphorus coatings on their catalytic properties in the hydrogen evolution reaction is studied. It is found that an increase in the content of phosphorus in the alloy from 0.1 to 12.6 wt % leads to an increase in the hydrogen evolution rate. The coatings, which were deposited under the galvanostatic conditions, exhibit higher activity than those plated under the potentiodynamic conditions. It is shown that the nature of acceleration of hydrogen evolution rate on the alloys depends on the alloy composition: only Ni-P alloys containing up to 6.5 wt % phosphorus possess true catalytic activity, whereas the coatings enriched in phosphorus promote the hydrogen evolution due to significant development of their surface area.