SEMINAR LMGP - 28.09.2021 - Dr Sergio BATTIATO

Dr. Sergio BATTIATO

Post-doc
Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Università di Catania

Abstract

One of the major challenges in the field of hydrogen generation from water splitting is the development of earth-abundant, efficient and stable electrocatalysts alternative to the noble metal catalysts (e.g. Pt, Ir, Ru) whose large-scale application is limited by high cost and scarcity. Transition metal compounds have recently sparked considerable attention owing to their low cost, availability and theoretically high catalytic activity. Particularly, nickel-based electrocatalysts have been proved to show enhanced catalytic performance for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) involved in the water electrolysis. In our study, we report on the fabrication of low cost and efficient nickel-based nanostructured materials by the use of feasible chemical methods such as chemical bath deposition (CBD) and electroless deposition (ELD). The electrochemical investigations show that the present electrocatalysts exhibit a remarkable OER and HER activity in alkaline media, comparable or even superior to that offered by precious metals. These findings suggest that non noble transition metal based compounds are compelling candidates for boosting H₂ production through water splitting. Finally, the present study provides a useful platform for the facile design of other efficient non-noble metal electrocatalysts.