In situ cathode polarization measurement in alkaline anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer equipped with a PdNiFeCo/C-Ceria hydrogen evolution electrocatalyst

Abstract

Ni foam was modified by a catalyst with low content of Pd, Ni, Fe and Co metal nanoparticles (PdNiFeCo/C-Ceria-NF) and evaluated as the cathode in alkaline anion exchange membrane (AAEM) water electrolyzer. The electrochemical activity of the electrode in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) techniques. The performance of catalyst as the cathode was investigated in an AAEM electrolyzer single cell by separating of the anode and cathode polarizations. PdNiFeCo/C-Ceria-NF exhibited a high catalytic activity toward HER and AAEM cathode reaction. PdNiFeCo/C-Ceria-NF showed a low Tafel slope (−79 mV dec−1), and low overpotential at the current density of 10 mA cm−2 (−14 mV) in HER. Also, PdNiFeCo/C-Ceria-NF electrode showed an excellent stability performance in alkaline media during 30 h. The membrane electrode assembly (MEA) which was equipped with PdNiFeCo/C-Ceria-NF exhibited the cell voltage of 2.31 V compared to 2.22 V for Pt/C on Ni foam (Pt/CNF) at the current density of 300 mA cm−2.