Galvanostatically Deposited PtNi Thin-Films as Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • © 2022 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH GmbHThe synthesis of hybrid platinum materials is fundamental to enable alkaline water electrolysis for cost-effective H2 generation. In this work, we have used a galvanostatic method to co-deposit PtNi films onto polycrystalline gold. The surface concentrations of Ni (¿Ni) and Pt (¿Pt) were calculated from electrochemical measurements; the ¿Pt/¿Ni ratio and electrocatalytic activity of these materials towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 1 M KOH show a strong dependence on the current density pulse applied during the electrodeposition. Analysis of the Tafel parameters hints that, on these deposits, HER proceeds through a Volmer-Heyrovsky mechanism. The galvanostatically deposited PtNi layers present a high current output per Pt gram, 3199 A gPt¿1, which is significantly larger compared to other PtNi-based materials obtained by more extended and more complex synthesis methods.

publication date

  • February 1, 2022