Effect of the Substrate Materials in the Fabrication of an Electrode Based on Mixed Nickel-Iron Oxide Electrocatalyst

The effect of different substrate materials in the fabrication of an electrode intended for use in the water oxidation reaction is investigated. The electrocatalyst is nickel-iron oxide (NiFeOx) which is deposited by chronoamperometry on nickel, iron, titanium, and stainless steel substrates. The process of electrodeposition is optimized to achieve the lowest overpotential for the water oxidation reaction. The four electrodes are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and glow-discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES) to describe the effect of the substrate on the nature of the electrocatalyst layer. Electrochemical tests in 1 m NaOH are applied on the four electrodes to assess the stability and the retention of the electrocatalytic properties of the whole electrode. All electrodes show similar overpotential of approximate to 0.3 V at 10 mA cm-2 implying that the substrate do not affect the electrocatalytic activity of the NiFeOx. After use, the overpotential increases in a range of 30-50 mV for nickel, iron, and titanium substrates, while stainless steel retains the lowest overpotential with an increase of 10 mV. This limited variation can be the effect of smaller NiFeOx nanoparticles compared to other substrates. XPS analysis reveals that after galvanostatic electrolysis, the oxidation state of Fe shifts slightly from Fe(II) to Fe(III), likely Fe3O4 and Fe2O3, while NiO/Ni2O3 change partially to Ni(OH)2. The water oxidation reaction in alkaline condition is investigated for the NiFeOx electrocatalyst which is deposited on different substrates, namely nickel, iron, titanium, and stainless steel. Limited effect is observed on overpotential and Tafel slope. The stability under galvanostatic electrolysis is highest for the stainless-steel substrate. image