The development of highly active, cheap, and stable electrocatalysts for overall water splitting is strategic for industrial electrolysis processes aiming to achieve sustainable hydrogen production. Here, we report the impressive electrocatalytic activity of the oxygen evolution reaction of Al-doped Ni(OH)2 deposited on a chemically etched carbon nanotube forest (CNT-F) supported on a flexible polymer/CNT nano composite. Our monolithic electrode generates a stable current density of 10 mA/cm(2) at an overpotential (eta) of 0.28 V toward the oxygen evolution reaction in 1 M NaOH and reaches approximately 200 mA/cm(2) at 1.7 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode in 6 M KOH. The CNT-F/NiAI electrode also shows an outstanding activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction under alkaline conditions. When CNT-F/NiAI is used both at the anode and at the cathode, our device can sustain the overall water splitting, reaching 10 mA/cm(2) at eta = 1.96 V. The high electrocatalytic activity of the CNT-F/NiAI hydroxide is due to the huge surface area of the CNT forest, the high electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite substrate, and the interactions between the NiAI catalyst and the CNTs.
A Flexible Electrode Based on Al-Doped Nickel Hydroxide Wrapped around a Carbon Nanotube Forest for Efficient Oxygen Evolution
Alberto Naldoni
Last
2017-01-01
Abstract
The development of highly active, cheap, and stable electrocatalysts for overall water splitting is strategic for industrial electrolysis processes aiming to achieve sustainable hydrogen production. Here, we report the impressive electrocatalytic activity of the oxygen evolution reaction of Al-doped Ni(OH)2 deposited on a chemically etched carbon nanotube forest (CNT-F) supported on a flexible polymer/CNT nano composite. Our monolithic electrode generates a stable current density of 10 mA/cm(2) at an overpotential (eta) of 0.28 V toward the oxygen evolution reaction in 1 M NaOH and reaches approximately 200 mA/cm(2) at 1.7 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode in 6 M KOH. The CNT-F/NiAI electrode also shows an outstanding activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction under alkaline conditions. When CNT-F/NiAI is used both at the anode and at the cathode, our device can sustain the overall water splitting, reaching 10 mA/cm(2) at eta = 1.96 V. The high electrocatalytic activity of the CNT-F/NiAI hydroxide is due to the huge surface area of the CNT forest, the high electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite substrate, and the interactions between the NiAI catalyst and the CNTs.
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