Nickel-Based Composites Using Tungsten Carbides as Enhancers for Electroactivity for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

ANTONELLA LOIACONO; SERGIO DIAZ COELLO; GONZALO GARCIA; GABRIELA I. LACCONI; ELENA PASTOR; ESTEBAN A. FRANCESCHINI

JOURNAL OF ELECTROANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY - (Print)

ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2024

1572-6657

This study investigated how the incorporation of tungsten carbides into a Watts bath affects the fabrication of NiWC and NiW2C composites compared to conventional Ni Watts electrodeposited electrodes. Using nickel Watts baths to synthesise composites provides convenient scalability to produce larger surface area electrodes. This technique is suitable for the production of electrodes for typical alkaline electrolysers of varying capacities. The study revealed that adding tungsten carbides to the conventional nickel bath resulted in the formation of rougher and more porous structures in the deposited composites. Furthermore, the composite electrodes exhibited a highlighted current density of hydrogen evolution in alkaline media compared to that recorded with nickel Watts electrodes. The use of Differential Electrochemistry Mass Spectrometry (DEMS) successfully revealed the mechanism behind the hydrogen evolution reaction on nickel-based electrodes in alkaline solutions, resulting in more accurate data for Tafel plots. This research provides valuable insights into the electrochemical performance of nickel-based electrodes. It has the potential to advance the development of more efficient and economical electrolysis systems.