Study the Activity of a Novel Ni-Based Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline Media

Abstract

Electrocatalytic water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen has a great potential to produce hydrogen as a carbon neutral source of energy. However, the sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) leads to an inefficient process prohibiting industrial application [1]. Therefore, highly efficient OER electrocatalysts are needed to reduce the energy barrier and enhance the efficiency of water electrolysis cell [2]. IrO2 and RuO2 are the most efficient electrocatalysts for OER, however their commercial industrial applications are limited due to their high cost and low earth abundance. To address this issue, several non-noble metal based OER electrocatalysts including transition metal oxide/hydroxides, perovskite, and molecular electrocatalysts have been developed [3]. Among them, Ni-based materials attract substantial attention owing to their low cost, high corrosion stability, and remarkable catalytic activity in alkaline media. The present work aims to evaluate and compare the electrochemical activity of a novel Ni-based electrocatalyst prepared from two different plating baths toward OER. Electrochemical measurements including cyclic voltammetry (CV), quasi-steady state polarization (QSSP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and chronopotentiometry (CP) were carried out to study and compare the activity, charge transfer resistance and stability of different electrocatalysts developed in this study toward OER in alkaline media.