From Bad Electrochemical Practices to an Environmental and Waste Reducing Approach for the Generation of Active Hydrogen Evolving Electrodes. (15th October 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ring, Lisa; Pollet, Bruno G.; Chatenet, Marian; Abbou, Sofyane; Küpper, Karsten; Schmidt, Mercedes; Huck, Marten; Gries, Aurelia; Steinhart, Martin; Schäfer, Helmut
• Is Part Of: Angewandte Chemie. Volume 131:Number 48(2019)
• Page Start: 17544
• Page End: 17553
• Publication Date: 2019-10-15
• Subjects: Elektrokatalyse -- Heterogene Katalyse -- Wasserspaltung -- Wasserstoffentwicklung; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/ange.201908649
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0044-8249

Abstract

Abstract: The electrodeposition of noble metals using corresponding dissolved metal salts represents an interesting process for the improvement of the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) properties of less active substrate materials. The fact that only a small fraction of the dissolved noble metals reaches the substrate represents a serious obstacle to this common procedure. We therefore chose a different path. It was found that the HER activity of Ni42 alloy drastically increased ( η =140 mV at j =10 mA cm −2 ; pH 1) when a platinum counter electrode was used during polarization experiments in acid. This improvement was caused by a platinum transfer from the platinum anode to the steel cathode, a process which occurred simultaneously to the hydrogen evolution. The negligible accumulation of Pt (26 μg) in the electrolyte turns this straight‐forward transfer procedure into a highly cost‐effective, environmentally friendly, and waste reducing approach for the generation of cheap, stable and effective HER electrodes. Abstract : Unkoventionelle Wege zum Erfolg : Die Benutzung einer Platin‐Gegenelektrode zur Analyse von Elektroden, die nicht auf PGM basieren, wird als schlechte Gepflogenheit in der Elektrochemie angesehen. In dieser Arbeit wurde es jedoch absichtlich getan, und es stellte sich heraus, dass sich dadurch hoch aktive und stabile HER‐Elektrokatalysatoren ohne Erzeugung von Abfall entwickeln lassen.