Amorphous porous sulfides nanosheets with hydrophilic/aerophobic surface for high-current-density water splitting

The rational construction of electrocatalysts with desired features is significant but challenging for superior water splitting at high current density. Herein, amorphous CoNiS nanosheets are synthesized on nickel foam (NF) through a facile structure evolution strategy and present advanced performance at high current densities in water splitting. The high catalytic activity can be attributed to the sufficient active sites exposed by the flexible amorphous configuration. Moreover, the hydrophilicity and aerophobicity of a-CoNiS/NF promote surface wettability of the self-supporting electrode and avoid the aggregation of bubbles, which expedites the diffusion of electrolyte and facilitates the mass transfer. As a result, the optimized electrode demonstrates low overpotentials of 289 and 434 mV at 500 mA/cm² under alkaline conditions for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively. Impressively, an electrolytic water splitting cell assembled by bifunctional a-CoNiS/NF operates with a low cell voltage of 1.46 V@10 mA/cm² and reaches 1.79 V at 500 mA/cm². The strategy sheds light on a competitive platform for the reasonable design of non-precious-metal electrocatalysts under high current density.     

电解制备二氧化锰强酸性电解液中气体扩散电极的稳定性与失效行为

采用气体扩散电极(GDE)代替传统析氢阴极电解制备二氧化锰(EMD),重点研究了气体扩散电极在强酸性MnSO4-H2SO4电解液中的稳定性、寿命及失效行为.结果表明:气体扩散电极在MnSO4-H2SO4电解液中重现性好、具有一定的稳定性,寿命可达400 h;平行实验表明,阳极沉积一定厚度的EMD是槽电压第一次升高的主要原因;电流密度为100 A m-2时,气体扩散电极失效前阴极过程的速度由氧的离子化反应和氧的扩散混合控制,失效后阴极过程由氧去极化和氢去极化共同组成,主要发生析氢反应;催化层聚四氟乙烯(PTFE)网络结构的破坏和镍网层的溶解是电极失效的原因之一;Pt的团聚降低了电极的电催化活性,是电极失效的主要原因;阴极失效是槽电压再次升高的主要原因.     

Enhanced catalytic activity of ppy-coated pencil electrode in the presence of chitosan and Au nanoparticles for hydrogen evolution reaction

Catalytically active and low-cost electrocatalysts for the production of hydrogen from water are extremely important for future renewable energy systems. Here, we report the fabrication of a facile pencil graphite electrode modified with polypyrrole-chitosan/Au nanoparticles and tested its performance for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) as a model process. The porous surface of the pencil graphite electrode (PGE) was modified potentiostically by polypyrrole (PPy) at various film thicknesses in the presence of chitosan (Chi), which is a natural biopolymer, in the electrolyte medium. After the optimum film thickness had been obtained, the Au particles electrodeposited on to the PPy/Chi composite film at the nano-scale to benefit both from its well-known high catalytic activity and to reduce the amount of precious metal Au to prepare a low-cost eletrocatalyst. The performance of this composite catalyst on the H⁺ reduction (H_ad formation) and thereby on the hydrogen evolution was investigated. Data from cyclic voltammetry (CV), Tafel polarization curves, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) demonstrated that the current densities related to the electron transfer rate changed with the thickness of the composite film, and the catalytic activity was enhanced more with deposition small amount of Au on to the catalyst surface.     

A Novel Electrode for Value-Generating Anode Reactions in Water Electrolyzers at Industrial Current Densities

Hydrogen generated in electrolyzers is discussed as a key element in future energy scenarios, but oxygen evolution as the standard anode reaction is a complex multi-step reaction requiring a high overpotential. At the same time,it does not add value-the oxygen is typically released into the atmosphere. Alternative anode reactions which can proceed at similar current densities as the hydrogen evolution are, therefore, of highest interest. We have discovered a high-performance electrode based on earth-abundant elements synthesized in the presence of H₂O₂, which is able to sustain current densities of close to 1 A cm⁻² for the oxidation of many organic molecules, which are partly needed at high production volumes. Such anode reactions could generate additional revenue streams, which help to solve one of the most important problems in the transition to renewable energy systems, i.e. the cost of hydrogen electrolysis.     

CoFeOx/MoO2准平行纳米阵列电极的析氢性能

利用CoFe层状双金属氢氧化物(CoFe LDH)准平行纳米片阵列作为载体前驱体,通过原位负载及煅烧方式,实现了含有氧空位的 MoO₂纳米颗粒在纳米片阵列表面的生长。电化学研究结果表明,所得 CoFeO_x/MoO₂纳米阵列电极具有高析氢反应(HER)催化活性。该电极在10和1 000 mA·cm^-2时的HER过电位分别为40和217 mV。在50 mA·cm^-2的电流密度下,该电极可以稳定运行125 h。     

Electrodeposition at Highly Negative Potentials of an Iron-Cobalt Oxide Catalyst for Use in Electrochemical Water Splitting

Earth-abundant transition metal-based catalysts have been extensively investigated for their applicability in water electrolysers to enable overall water splitting to produce clean hydrogen and oxygen. In this study a Fe−Co based catalyst is electrodeposited in 30 seconds under vigorous hydrogen evolution conditions to produce a high surface area material that is active for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This catalyst can achieve high current densities of 600 mAcm⁻² at an applied potential of 1.6 V (vs RHE) in 1 M NaOH with a Tafel slope value of 48 mV dec⁻¹ for the OER. In addition, the HER can be facilitated at current densities as high as 400 mA cm⁻² due to the large surface area of the material. The materials were found to be predominantly amorphous but did contain crystalline regions of CoFe₂O₄ which became more evident after the OER indicating interesting compositional and structural changes that occur to the catalyst after an electrocatalytic reaction. This rapid method of creating a bimetallic oxide electrode for both the HER and OER could possibly be adopted to other bimetallic oxide systems suitable for electrochemical water splitting.     

Studying the process of ionization of hydrogen in conditions of its forced delivery to a porous nickel oxide electrode

The hydrogen ionization process is studied experimentally on an industrial sintered nickel oxide electrode in models of sealed nickel-metal hydride batteries. It is shown that the hydrogen ionization rates that are reached during overcharge by high current densities in conditions of forced gas delivery into the electrode pores (up to 40 mA cm^?2) exceed the self-discharge rate of a nickel-hydrogen battery by two orders of magnitude. Up to 70% of hydrogen delivered into the compact assembly block undergoes ionization during forced charge of models of sealed nickel-metal hydride batteries with a closed hydrogen cycle. Two independent methods (potentiostatic and manometric) are used to determine the relationship between rates of hydrogen ionization with the degree of the electrode filling with gas and perform estimation of the process intensity at a unit reaction surface. It is established that, in conditions of forced gas delivery, practically all the hydrogen oxidation current is generated at the surface of the nickel oxide electrode beneath thin films of an electrolyte solution at the rate of 4–5 mA cm^?2. It is shown that the hydrogen oxidation rate on a nickel oxide electrode filled in part by gas is independent of the electrode potential, probably because of a tangible contribution made by diffusion limitations to the overall hampering of the process.     

CoFeOx/MoO2准平行纳米阵列电极的析氢性能

利用CoFe层状双金属氢氧化物(CoFe LDH)准平行纳米片阵列作为载体前驱体,通过原位负载及煅烧方式,实现了含有氧空位的MoO₂纳米颗粒在纳米片阵列表面的生长。电化学研究结果表明,所得CoFeO_x/MoO₂纳米阵列电极具有高析氢反应(HER)催化活性。该电极在10和1 000 mA·cm^-2时的HER过电位分别为40和217 mV。在50 mA·cm^-2的电流密度下,该电极可以稳定运行125 h。     

Hydrogen Evolution Efficiency at Illuminated Silicon

The change of kinetic characteristics of photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution at p-type silicon in acid aqueous electrolyte solutions under prolonged continuous illumination is studied. It is shown that, during the transfer of full charge Q _t < 150 C/cm² through the silicon/electrolyte interface, the interrelation between the reciprocal time of the charge transfer into electrolyte and the steady-state current remains linear. In this case, a Tafel-like relation links the interfacial charge to the steady-state electrode current. Passing current through the electrode even further results, at Q _t > 350 C/cm², in breaking-down the direct relation between the current and the charge transfer time, despite the electrode's retaining high photosensitivity. The effect is probably caused by significant energy and structure distortions in the surface layer of silicon.     

Mutual Influence of Electrode Processes during Electrodeposition of Layered Structures by the Single-Bath Method: The Effect of Nickel Deposition and Hydrogen Evolution on the Transport of Copper Ions in Acetate and Sulfamate Electrolytes

The effect of nickel deposition and hydrogen evolution on the transport of copper-containing ions is studied by numerically solving an electrodiffusion problem with use made of variational values of the formation constants of nickel and copper complexes in acetate and sulfamate electrolytes and thicknesses of the diffusion layer. It is concluded that the major contribution to the mass transfer is made by the effects of exaltation of the migration current and by the agitation of the near-electrode layer of electrolyte by evolving hydrogen. The possibility of employing migration effects in order to reduce the limiting current of copper in the region of nickel deposition and hydrogen evolution is substantiated. This will decrease the copper content in a layer of alloy during electrodeposition of layered structures.     

Electric mass transport of sodium chloride through cation-exchange membrane MK-40 in dilute sodium chloride solutions: A rotating membrane disk study

The polarization properties of an electromembrane system consisting of an MK-40 membrane and a dilute sodium chloride solution are investigated with an experimental apparatus, which includes a rotating membrane disk with a horizontally positioned membrane. For the electrochemical systems of MK-40/0.01 M NaCl and MK-40/0.001 M NaCl, effective ion transport numbers and partial current-voltage curves are determined for sodium and hydrogen ions, and limiting-current densities and the diffusion-layer thickness are calculated as functions of the rotation rate of the membrane disk. The space-charge distribution in the diffusion layer and in the membrane is calculated for various current densities and rotation rates of the membrane. It is shown that when electric-current densities are greater than the limiting value, ion fluxes of the salt increase as a result of a decrease in the effective thickness of the diffusion layer. This decrease is caused by the development of space charge, electroconvection, water dissociation, and the exaltation effect in the region near the membrane. It has been established that in dilute solutions the limiting current is not purely electrodiffusive in nature.     

PAFC空气电极催化层相界面结构分析

提出一个考虑了催化层中电压不均匀分布,可以在任意气体压力p、输出电流密度I工作条件下,表征PAFC空气电极行为的数学模型.发现表征“气/液”相界面比表面的参数AB与I在不同的p下呈不同的线性关系.其中在较低的压力下AB对I有较深的依赖关系,而在较高的压力p下,AB趋向与I无关.表征“液/固”界面的参数AI在不同p、I下基本保持不变.利用所构建的数学模型对PAFC空气电极中催化反应层内O2电化学还原速率进行了定量分析.结果表明,大电流下运行的空气电极,其主要的电极反应发生在“扩散层/催化层”交界处的催化反应层中,意味着厚的催化反应层是不必要的.     

Effective thickness of the diffusion layer during hydrogen ion reduction in aqueous hydrochloric acid solutions

The process of mass transport during hydrogen ion reduction in aqueous hydrochloric acid solutions is examined both with and without excess supporting electrolyte. The study of this process is based on a numerical solution to a system of equations of material balance and the movement of particles in solution under the influence of forces for diffusion, migration, and convection. The homogeneous chemical reaction of water dissociation is also taken into account. The results of calculations show that a diffusion layer forms near the electrode during the passage of current in these solutions and that the effective thickness of this layer is the same at any instant for all particles participating in mass transport in solution in spite of differences in their diffusion coefficients. The value of the diffusion coefficient measured in these multicomponent solutions by the methods of chronopotentiometry and rotating disk electrode should differ little from that of hydrogen ions in spite of the fact that other particles with different diffusion coefficients participate in the mass transport.     

Single‐Nanoparticle Collision Events: Tunneling Electron Transfer on a Titanium Dioxide Passivated n‐Silicon Electrode

Single‐nanoparticle collisions were observed on an n‐type silicon electrode (600 μm diameter) passivated by a thin layer of amorphous TiO₂, where the current steps occurred by tunneling electron transfer. The observed collision frequency was in reasonable agreement with that predicted from theory. The isolated electrode, after a collision experiment, with a Pt/TiO₂/n‐Si architecture was shown to retain the photoelectrochemical properties of n‐Si without photocorrosion or current decay. The Pt/TiO₂/n‐Si electrode produced 19 mA cm^?2 of photocurrent density under 100 mW cm^?2 irradiation from a xenon lamp during oxygen evolution without current fading for over 12 h.     

Pathways of diffusion mixed with subsequent reactions with examples of hydrogen extraction from hydride-forming electrode and oxygen reduction at gas diffusion electrode

This paper covers the role of the rate-determining step (RDS) in anodic hydrogen extraction from hydride-forming electrode. In general, hydrogen extraction from the electrode proceeds through the following steps: (1) hydrogen diffusion within the electrode, (2) hydrogen transfer from absorbed state to adsorbed state, (3) electrochemical oxidation of hydrogen to hydrogen ion involving charge transfer, and (4) hydrogen ion conduction through the electrolyte. In most theoretical and experimental investigations, it has been assumed that the RDS of anodic hydrogen extraction is hydrogen diffusion through the electrode. In real situation, however, the overall rate of hydrogen extraction is simultaneously determined by the rates of two or more reaction steps including hydrogen diffusion. The present work provides the overview of anodic hydrogen extraction in case that diffusion is coupled with interfacial charge transfer, interfacial hydrogen transfer, and hydrogen ion conduction through the electrolyte as well as the purely diffusion-controlled hydrogen extraction. In addition, the mixed controlled diffusion model was also exemplified with oxygen reduction at gas diffusion electrode of fuel cell system.

     

Current challenges related to the deployment of shape-controlled Pt alloy oxygen reduction reaction nanocatalysts into low Pt-loaded cathode layers of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The reduction of the amount of platinum used in proton exchange membrane fuel cell cathodes at constant power density helps lower the cell stack cost of fuel cell electric vehicles. Recent screening studies using the thin film rotating disk electrode technique have identified an ever-growing number of Pt-based nanocatalysts with oxygen reduction reaction Pt-mass activities that allow for a substantial projected decrease in the geometric platinum loading at the cathode layer. However, the step from a rotating disk electrode test to a membrane electrode assembly test has proved a formidable task. The deployment of advanced, often shape-controlled dealloyed Pt alloy nanocatalysts in actual cathode layers of proton exchange membrane fuel cells has remained extremely challenging with respect to their actual catalytic activity under hydrogen/oxygen flow, their hydrogen/air performance at high current densities, and their morphological stability under prolonged fuel cell operations. In this review, we discuss some of these challenges, yet also propose possible solutions to understand the challenges and to eventually unfold the full potential of advanced Pt-based alloy oxygen reduction reaction catalysts in fuel cell electrode layers.     

An alternative approach to selective sea water oxidation for hydrogen production

Sea water electrolysis is one of the promising ways to produce hydrogen since it is available in plentiful supply on the earth. However, in sea water electrolysis toxic chlorine evolution is the preferred reaction over oxygen evolution at the anode. In this work, research has been focused on the development of electrode materials with a high selectivity for oxygen evolution over chlorine evolution. Selective oxidation in sea water electrolysis has been demonstrated by using a cation-selective polymer. We have used a perm-selective membrane (Nafion^®), which electrostatically repels chloride ions (Cl⁻) to the electrode surface and thereby enhances oxygen evolution at the anode. The efficiency and behaviour of the electrode have been characterized by means of anode current efficiency and polarization studies. The surface morphology of the electrode has been characterized by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results suggest that nearly 100% oxygen evolution efficiency could be achieved when using an IrO₂/Ti electrode surface-modified by a perm-selective polymer.     

Effect of oxygen vacancies in anodic titanium oxide films on the kinetics of the oxygen electrode reaction

The effect of oxygen vacancies in the anodic oxide film on passive titanium on the kinetics of the oxygen electrode reaction has been studied by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Oxide films of different donor density were prepared galvanostatically at various current densities until a potential of 20.0 V_SHE was achieved. The semiconductive properties of the oxide films were characterized using EIS and Mott-Schottky analysis, and the thickness was measured using ellipsometry. The film thickness was found to be almost constant at ∼44.7 ± 2.0 nm, but Mott-Schottky analysis of the measured high frequency interracial capacitance showed that the donor (oxygen vacancy) density in the n-type passive film decreased sharply with increasing oxide film formation rate (current density). Passive titanium surfaces covering a wide range of donor density were used as substrates for ascertaining relationships between the rates of oxygen reduction/evolution and the donor density. These studies show that the rates of both reactions are higher for passive films having higher donor densities. Possible explanations include enhancement of the conductivity of the film due to the vacancies facilitating charge transfer and the surface oxygen vacancies acting as catalytic sites for the reactions. The possible involvement of surface oxygen vacancies in the oxygen electrode reaction was explored by determining the kinetic order of the OER with respect to the donor concentration. The kinetic orders were found to be greater than zero, indicating that oxygen vacancies are involved as electrocatalytic reaction centers in both the oxygen evolution and reduction reactions. This paper was submitted in honor of the many contributions to electrochemistry that have been made by Professor Boris Grafov. The article is published in the original.     

Electric mass transfer of sodium chloride through cation-exchange membrane MK-40: A rotating membrane disk study

An experimental device consisting of a rotating membrane disk with horizontally positioned cation-exchange membrane MK-40 is described. The device’s design makes it possible to simultaneously obtain current-voltage curves (CVC) and dependences of effective transport numbers for ions of electrolyte and water dissociation products on the current density. Partial CVC are calculated and limiting current densities and diffusion layer thickness are determined at various disk rotation rates. At current densities below the limiting value, the disk’s CVC obey regularities of electrodiffusion kinetics. Upon raising the current density further, the salt ion fluxes increase due to a decrease in the effective diffusion layer thickness, which is caused by the emergence in the near-membrane region of a space charge and electroconvection. At high current densities there occur oscillations of the potential jump that are caused by hydrodynamic instability of the near-membrane solution layer.     

温度对贮氢合金MINi~3~.~7~5Co~0~.~6~5Mn~0~.~4Al~0~.~2动力学性能的影响

在-20℃～85℃的范围内系统地研究了温度对贮氢合金MINi~3~.~7~5Co~0~.~6~5Mn~0~.~4Al~0~.~2动力学性能的影响。结果表明：该贮氢合金电极的电化学反应电阻R~t,欧姆内阻R~0,阴极极化过电位,阳极极化过电位,阳极极化过程中的电化学反应过电位η~a和浓差极化过电位η~c均随温度的升高而减小,该电极的交换电流密度i~0,对称因子β和电极中氢的扩散系数D随温度的升高而增大。当放电电流密度较低时,电化学反应是整个电极过程的速度控制步骤;当放电电流密度较高时,氢的扩散是整个电极过程的速度控制步骤;在中等放电电流密度下,电极过程由电化学过程和氢的扩散过程混合控制。该电极中电化学反应过程和氢扩散过程的活化能分别为28.1kJ.mol^-^1和19.9kJ.mol^-^1。