Development of Fe-Ni-W Plated Electrode for Alkaline Water Electrolysis

This study was aimed at the preparation of an electrode for alkali water electrolysis, which had excellent catalytic activity by use of electroplating of alloys made of abundant metal, such as Fe and Ni. The hydrogen overvoltage of the Fe-Ni-W alloy plated electrode was the smallest through the measurement, moreover the hydrogen overvoltage was reduced after a long electrolysis. The elemental composition and the enlargement of the surface area were confirmed by SEM and EDX analysis. Involvement of Fe and W of Fe-Ni-W alloy plated electrode will be one factor for its high catalytic activity. Thus plated Fe-Ni-W alloy electrodes were compared with the Fe alloy plated electrodes considering of their water electrolysis performance. The catalytic activity of Fe-Ni-W plated electrode showed the best performance comparing to Fe-W-P or Fe-Ni alloy plated electrodes as both anode and cathode. Also comparing to the stainless steel which had been widely used in the field of industrial water electrolysis, the Fe-based alloy plated electrode showed better performance as the electrodes for water electrolysis. (C) The Electrochemical Society of Japan, All rights reserved.