Evolution of hydrogen and its sorption on remarkable active amorphous smooth NiP(x) electrodes

✍ Scribed by Ivo Paseka

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 941 KB
• Volume: 40
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0013-4686
• DOI: 10.1016/0013-4686(95)00077-r

✦ Synopsis

Hvdroaen evolution

reaction was studied on electrolytically prepared amorphous smooth Ni-P(x) layers wirh a phosphorus content of 3 to 14wt%. Ni-P(x) electrodes with a low P content about 3 wt% are very active. At the potential E = -0.2 V [rhe] in 1 N KOH at 23°C the current density of the hydrogen evolution is -0.2 A cm-', which is approximately 10 times higher than on platinum and 300 times higher than on nickel. The polarization curve Ni-P(3%) has a low slope b 2 0.058 V dec-I in the range orcurrent densities O.OO-i Acme *. This low slope is caused probably by a barrierless electron transfer reaction mechanism.

High activity of amorphous Ni-P(3) electrodes is caused by the ability of these electrodes to adsorb and absorb great amounts of hydrogen, which changes the electron structure of the basic metal. The thermal treatment of layers at approximately 150°C causes the crystallisation of layers and the loss both of the activity and the ability to sorb hydrogen.