Highly Active Ni-Based Alloying Pillars Fabricated by Localized Electrodeposition for Use in Water Electrolysis

Project Details

Description

In this project, we focus on developing a rapid process of the electrochemical additive manufacturing method. This process is based on the micro-anode guided electrochemical deposition (MAGE) technique that is well established in our laboratory to prepare the alloying nickel-based 3-D pillars, such as Ni-Mo, Ni-P, Ni-Zn, and Ni-Fe. Due to the microstructure of nanocrystals and amorphous, these alloying pillars characterize with a very high specific surface area and low hydrogen evolution potential. In application, the array established by these pillars provides a useful cathode (Ni-Zn, Ni-Mo, and Ni-P) and anode (Ni-Fe) in the water electrolysis. They are durable and high efficient electrodes in the performance of water electrolysis. Theoretically, MAGE is exerted with high current density in an asymmetrical electrical field. The mechanism is quite different from that of the conventional planar electroplating process, conducted at low current density in the symmetrical electrical-field. This alloying mechanism is seldom reported in the literature, even though we have discussed the mechanism for the pure metal very well. In this work, the effect of the experimental parameters on the alloying composition, microstructure, and characterization of the Ni-alloying pillars is of interest. The goal of this work is to prepare the self-supported Ni-alloying pillars with a diameter ranging in 100 ~ 1000 μm in height up to 15 mm. The cathode array made of Ni-based (Ni-Zn, Ni-Mo, and Ni-P) pillars and the anode array made of Ni-Fe was investigated to perform the water electrolysis. We expected that these arrays of 3-D Ni-alloying pillars are much more efficient on the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) as compared to those constructed by the conventional 2-D thin-films, porous films, and dendritic structures. This project is also contributed to the development of additive manufacturing technology (AMT) on nickel-based alloys at room temperature.
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date1/08/2031/12/21

UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This project contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy

Keywords

  • Ni-based alloys
  • Micro-anode guided electrodeposition (MAGE)
  • Thin-films
  • Additive manufacturing technology (AMT)
  • Nanocrystalline
  • hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)

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