Methods for the electrochemical and thermal surface modification of steel and nickel electrodes to reduce the overpotential of cathodic hydrogen evolution and/or anodic oxygen evolution at them in the electrolysis of an alkaline solution

Applications

It is expected that the methods being developed for the modification of steel and nickel electrodes will find application in machine building in the manufacture of highly efficient electrochemical hydrogen generators and for the updating of electrolyzers for hydrogen production in a number of industries where they are already used.

Brief description

The electrochemical methods for the surface modification of steel and nickel electrodes involve cathodic deposition on the electrode of a thin film of alloys or composite coatings with low cathodic and/or anodic overpotential in the electrolysis of an alkaline solution.
The thermal methods for the surface modification of electrodes involve creation on the surface of electrodes of a layer of oxygen-containing compounds of some elements having low values of the above overpotentials. To this end, reactions of the surface of electrodes with appropriate compounds at elevated temperatures are carried out.

Expected properties

The creation of electrodes with low values of cathodic hydrogen evolution and/or anodic oxygen evolution in the electrolysis of an alkaline solution will make it possible to greatly reduce the electrolyzer terminal voltage in electrochemical hydrogen production, which will reduce the cost of produced hydrogen and increase the profitability and competitiveness of this hydrogen production method.

Advantages

The methods being developed for the surface modification of steel and nickel electrodes for electrochemical hydrogen production have several advantages.
Firstly, these methods are fairly simple and require no complex equipment. Secondly, precious metals are not used for the surface modification of electrodes.
Thirdly, the introduction of electrodes surface-modified by these methods into industry will make it possible to produce cheap and high-purity hydrogen in large amounts.

Competitors

АТОВ Ural Plants Industrial Company Ltd

State of development

The composition of electrolytes for the electrochemical surface modification of electrodes with alloys or composite materials, electrolysis conditions and the conditions of the thermal surface modification of electrodes have been determined.
Comparative electrochemical studies of cathodic hydrogen evolution and anodic oxygen evolution from an alkaline solution at modified and unmodified electrodes have been carried out, which confirmed the advantages of modified electrodes

Intellectual property

The results of this research work are the property of the V.I.Vernadskii Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the Ukrainian NAS

Contact information

Executing : V.I. Vernadskii Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry.

Project №2 “The use of surface modification of cathodes and anodes for the development of electrodes with low hydrogen and oxygen overpotential and increasing the economic efficiency of hydrogen production by low-temperature electrolysis”