ELECTRODEPOSITION OF NI-TRANSITION ALLOYS FOR THE OXYGEN EVOLUTION REACTION

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is the anodic reaction in several industrial electrolytic processes. The objective of this work was to develop a new electrocatalytic material for long-lasting and economical high performance electrodes. New electrodes were prepared by electrodeposition of nickel, nickel-ruthenium and nickel-iridium alloys. They were then activated by anodic polarization at 100 mA cm-2 to form an oxide layer. The electrocatalytic activity was characterized for the OER in 5 m KOH solution. The results show that nickel-iridium alloys provide greater electrocatalytic activity for the OER and better corrosion resistance than nickel-ruthenium in alkaline solution. The effects of transition elements on improving the performance of the nickel electrode are then discussed.