Highly efficient FexNi1-xOy/CP electrode prepared via simple soaking and heating treatments for electrocatalytic water oxidation

The oxygen evolution reaction（OER） is a key step in the overall water splitting process. Numerous electrocatalysts have been developed to lower the overpotential and accelerate the kinetics of the OER. In this work, a simple soaking and heating treatment was used to form a stable and efficient FeNiO/CP electrode. The electrode combined nickel and iron oxides on a commercial carbon paper were used for electrocatalytic water oxidation. The best FeNiO/CP electrode（Ni/Fe = 15/1） displayed a current density of 10 mA/cmat a low overpotential of 290 mV in 0.1 M KOH solution with a Tafel slope of 52 mV/dec.A higher current density of0 mA/cmat the same overpotential and a lower Tafel slope of 43 mV/dec was obtained for this electrode in 1.0 M KOH solution. Excellent durability of the FeNiO/CP electrode in 1.0 M KOH solution was confirmed under a high current density of 136 mA/cmat an overpotential of 340 mV.

Fabrication and characterization of electrodeposited nanocrystalline Ni-Fe alloys for NiFe_2O_4 spinel coatings

Nanocrystalline Ni-Fe FCC alloy coatings with Fe content of 1.3%-39%（mass fraction） were fabricated on the nickel substrates using a DC electrodeposition technique. The crystal structure, lattice strain, grain size and lattice constant of the Ni-Fe alloy coatings were studied by X-ray diffraction technique. The chemical composition and surface morphology of the FCC Ni-Fe alloy coatings were investigated with the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy（EDS） and atomic force microscopy（AFM）. The results show that the Fe content of the Ni-Fe alloy coatings has a great influence on the preferred orientation, grain size, lattice constant and lattice strain. FCC Ni-Fe alloy coatings exhibit preferred orientations of（200） or（200）（111）. With an increase of Fe content, the preferred growth orientation of（200） plane is weakened gradually, while the preferred growth orientation of（111） increases. An increase of the Fe content in the range of 1.3%-25%（mass fraction） results in a significant grain refinement of the coatings. Increasing the Fe content beyond 25% does not decrease the grain size of FCC Ni-Fe alloys further. The lattice strain increases with increasing the Fe content in the FCC Ni-Fe alloys. Since the alloys with Fe content not less than 25% has similar grain size（~11 nm）, the increase in the lattice strain with the increase of Fe content cannot be attributed to the change in the grain size.

Ni doped La_(0.6)Sr_(0.4)FeO_(3-δ) symmetrical electrode for solid oxide fuel cells

The conventional Ni cermet anode suffers from severe carbon deposition and sulfur poisoning when fossil fuels are used. Alternative anode materials are desired for high performance hydrocarbon fuel solid oxide fuel cells （SOFCs）. We report the rational design of a very active Ni doped La0.6Sr0.4FeO3‐δ（LSFN） electrode for hydrocarbon fuel SOFCs. Homogeneously dispersed Ni‐Fe alloy nanoparticles were in situ extruded onto the surface of the LSFN particles during the operation of the cell. Sym‐metric SOFC single cells were prepared by impregnating a LSFN precursor solution onto a YSZ （yt‐tria stabilized zirconia） monolithic cell with a subsequent heat treatment. The open circuit voltage of the LSFN symmetric cell reached 1.18 and 1.0 V in humidified C3H8 and CH4 at 750？？, respective‐ly. The peak power densities of the cells were 400 and 230 mW/cm2 in humidified C3H8 and CH4, respectively. The electrode showed good stability in long term testing, which revealed LSFN has good catalytic activity for hydrocarbon fuel oxidation.

Electrochemical Degradation of Indigocarmine Dye at Ni/Graphite Modified Electrode in Aqueous Solution

Nickel Graphite modified electrode (Ni/GME) was prepared by electrochemical method and degradation of Indigocarmine (IC) dye was carried out. An investigation between the efficiency of degradation by graphite electrode and the Ni/graphite modified electrode has been carried out. The different effects of concentration, current density and temperature on the rate of degradation were studied. This study shows that the rate of the degradation is more for Ni doped modified graphite electrode. UV-Visible spectra before and after degradation of the dye solution were observed. The thin film formation of Ni or encapsulated in graphite rod is observed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM & EDAX). The instantaneous current effectiveness values of different experimental conditions are evaluated. The anodic oxidation by Ni/ graphite modified electrode showed the complete degradation of aqueous solution indigocarmine, which is confirmed by UV-Visible and chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurements. The dye is converted into CO2, H2O and simpler inorganic salts. The results observed for reuse of modified electrodes indicate that the Ni/graphite modified electrode would be a promising anode for electrochemical degradation of indigocarmine. This method can be applied for the remediation of waste water containing organics, cost-effective and simple.

Hierarchical coral-like FeNi(OH)_x/Ni via mild corrosion of nickel as an integrated electrode for efficient overall water splitting

Efficient,stable,and noble‐metal‐free electrocatalysts for both the oxygen evolution reaction and the hydrogen evolution reaction are highly imperative for the realization of low‐cost commercial water‐splitting electrolyzers.Herein,a cost‐effective and ecofriendly strategy is reported to fabricate coral‐like FeNi(OH)x/Ni as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting in alkaline media.With the assistance of mild corrosion of Ni by Fe(NO3)3,in situ generated FeNi(OH)x nanosheets are intimately attached on metallic coral‐like Ni.Integration of these nanosheets with the electrodeposited coral‐like Ni skeleton and the supermacroporous Ni foam substrate forms a binder‐free hierarchical electrode,which is beneficial for exposing catalytic active sites,accelerating mass transport,and facilitating the release of gaseous species.In 1.0 mol L^-1 KOH solution,a symmetric electrolyzer constructed with FeNi(OH)x/Ni as both the anode and the cathode exhibits an excellent activity with an applied potential difference of 1.52 V at 10 mA cm^-2,which is superior to that of an asymmetric electrolyzer constructed with the state‐of‐the‐art RuO2‐PtC couple(applied potential difference of 1.55 V at 10 mA cm^-2).This work contributes a facile and reliable strategy for manufacturing affordable,practical,and promising water‐splitting devices.

Properties of electrodeposited amorphous Fe-Ni-W alloy deposits

A new technique of electroplating amorphous Fe-Ni-W alloy deposits was proposed.The structure and morphology o Fe-Ni-W alloy deposit were detected by XRD and SEM.The friction and wear behavior of Fe-Ni-W alloy deposit were studied and compared with that of chromium deposit.The corrosion properties against 5% sodium chloride,5% sulfuric acid and 5% sodium hydroxide were also discussed.The experimental results indicate that Fe-Ni-W alloy deposits have superior properties against wea than hard chromium deposits under dry sliding condition.Under oil sliding condition,except their better wear resistance,the deposits can protect their counterparts against wear.The deposits plated on brass and AISI 1045 steel show good behavior against corrosion o 5% sodium chloride,5% sulfuric acid and 5% sodium hydroxide.The bath of electroplating amorphous Fe-Ni-W alloy deposits is environmentally friendly and would find widely use in industry.

Effects of the Composition of Electrodeposited Fe-Ni-P Alloy on the Thermostability and Magnetic Properties

The magnetic properties, structure defects of electrodeposited Fe-Ni-P alloys with various compositions and the thermostability at amorphous state have been studied by DSC, positron annihilation and electronic integrating instrument methods. The results show that the thermostability of amorphous Fe-Ni-P alloys increases with Fe content. Emergence and recrystallization of stable phases defer as the P content of the coating increases. The minimum H-c, B-r and P-h occur at 9.4 P (wt pet) content. Maximum H-c, B-r and P-h occur at the weight ratio of Fe to Ni equaling to 1/9.

Effects of sputtering conditions on electrochemical behavior and physical properties of Ni-Mo alloy electrode

Sputtering method was used to prepare Ni-Mo alloy electrodes for hydrogen production in alkaline solution. The influences of the working pressure during deposition and the substrate temperature on the electrochemical behavior of electrode were characterized by steady-state polarization plot and Tafel polarization curve measurements. And the physical properties of electrodes were characterized by XRD, SEM, AFM and EDS. It is found that the overpotential is significantly influenced by the working pressure which affects critically the electrode surface morphology, and two Tafel regions are observed for each sample. The overpotential value does not change very much with the substrate temperature. The XRD results indicates that the electrodes should be considered nanocrystalline. Thornton model for the microstructure of sputter-deposited electrodes is referred to explain the observed microstructure change.

Fe_3O_4 Magnetic Nanoparticles Modified Electrode as a Sensor for Determination of Nimesulide

A novel type of Fe3O4 nanoparticles modified glass carbon electrode（Fe3O4/GCE） was constructed and the electrochemical properties of N-（4-nitro-2-phenoxyphenyl）methanesulfonamide（nimesulide） were studied on the Fe3O4/GCE.In 0.4mol/L HAc-NaAc buffer solution（pH=5.0）,the electrode process of nimesulide was irreversible at bare GCE and Fe3O4/GCE.The Fe3O4/GCE exhibited a remarkable catalytic and enhancement effect on the reduction of nimesulide.The reduction peak potential of nimesulide shifted positively from-0.683 V at bare GCE to-0.625 V at Fe3O4/GCE,and the sensitivity was increased by ca.3 times.Some experimental conditions were optimized.The linear range between the peak current and the concentration of nimesulide was 2.6×10-6 ＂1.0×10-4mol/L（R=0.993） with a detection limit of 1.3×10-7mol/L.This method has been used to determine the content of nimesulide in medical tablets.The recovery was determined to be 96.9% ＂101.9% by means of standard addition method.The method is comparable to UV-Vis spectrometry.

Formation mechanism of amorphous Ni-Fe-P alloys by electrodeposition

The formation mechanism of the amorphous Ni-Fe-P coating was studied by analysis of the forming thermodynamics, dynamics, and crystallography of the amorphous alloy. The results show that, in the initial stage of deposition a thin 'crystal epitaxial growth' layer first forms, and then transforms to amorphous gradually. The cross section in Ni-Fe-P coatings by electrolytic etching exhibits a banded structure of alternate dark and light bands. It is proposed that the banded structure is caused by a change in the P content with thickness,which is due to alternated depletion and enrichment of [OH-] in the diffusion layer resulting from the generation and evolution of hydrogen gas. The amorphous Ni-Fe-P coating will be formed in proper composition, high nucleation rate and strongly hindered growth of the crystal nucleus. Amorphous Ni-Fe-P alloys form as islands, and grow up by layer.

Effects of rapid quenching on structure and electrochemical characteristics of La_(0.5)Ce_(0.2)Mg_(0.3)Co_(0.4)Ni_(2.6-x)Mn_x(x=0-0.4) electrode alloys

The La-Mg-Ni system PuNi3-type La0.5Ce0.2Mg0.3Co0.4Ni2.6-xMnx(x=0,0.1,0.2,0.3,0.4) hydrogen storage alloys were prepared by casting and rapid quenching. The effects of the rapid quenching on the structure and electrochemical characteristics of the alloys were studied. The results obtained by XRD,SEM and TEM indicate that the as-cast and quenched alloys mainly consist of two major phases,(La,Mg)Ni3 and LaNi5,as well as a residual phase LaNi. The rapid quenching does not exert an obvious influence on the phase composition of the alloys,but it leads to an increase of the LaNi5 phase and a decrease of the(La,Mg)Ni3 phase. The as-quenched alloys have a nano-crystalline structure,and the grain sizes of the alloys are in the range of 20-30 nm. The results by the electrochemical measurements indicate that both the discharge capacity and the high rate discharge(HRD) ability of the alloy first increase and then decrease with the variety of quenching rate and obtain the maximum values at the special quenching rate which is changeable with the variety of Mn content. The rapid quenching significantly improves the cycle stabilities of the alloys,but it slightly impairs the activation capabilities of the alloys.

Surface structure and catalytic activity of electrodeposited Ni-Fe-Co-Mo alloy electrode by partially leaching Mo and Fe

Ni-Fe-Mo-Co alloy electrode was prepared in a citrate solution by electrodeposition, and then Mo and Fe were partially leached out from the electrode in 30% KOH solution. The unique surface micromorphology of a hive-like structure was obtained with an average pore size of about 50 nm. The electrode has a very large real surface area and a stable structure. The effects of sodium molybdate concentration on the composition, surface morphology, and structure of electrodes were analyzed by EDS, SEM and XRD. The polarization curves of the different electrodes show that the catalytic activity of electrodes is strongly correlated with the mole fraction of alloy elements (Ni, Fe, Mo, Co), and the addition of cobalt element to Ni-Fe-Mo alloy improves the catalytic activity. The Ni35.63Fe24.67Mo23.52Co16.18 electrode has the best activity for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER), with an over-potential of 66.2 mV, in 30% KOH at 80 ℃ and 200 mA/cm2. The alloy maintains its good catalytic activity for HER during continuous or intermittent electrolysis. Its electrochemical activity and catalytic stability are much higher than the other iron-group with Mo alloy electrodes.

Effect of surface modification of metal hydride electrode on performance of MH/Ni batteries

A novel method was applied to the surface modification of the metal hydride(MH)electrode of MH/Ni batteries.Both sides of the electrode were plated with a thin silver film about 0.1μm thick using vacuum evaporation plating technology,and the effect of the electrode on the performance of MH/Ni batteries was examined.It is found that the surface modification can enhance the electrode conductivity and decrease the battery ohimic resistance.After surface modification,the discharge capacity at 5C(7.5A)is increased by 212 mA.h and the discharge voltage is increased by 0.11 V,the resistance of the batteries is also decreased by 32%.The batteries with modified electrode exhibit satisfactory durability.The remaining capacity of the modified batteries is 89%of the initial capacity even after 500 cycles.The inner pressure of the batteries during overcharging is lowered and the charging efficiency of the batteries is improved.

Stability of electrodeposited amorphous Ni-Fe-P alloys

The stability of the electrodeposited amorphous Ni-Fe-P alloys was studied by DTA,DSC,XRD and improved four-ball wear tester in order to clear its applied scope.The results show that the element content has influence on the stability of amorphous Ni-Fe-P alloy,in which the crystallization temperature increases with Fe content,and the increase of P content delays the appearance of stable crystallization phases and recrystallization.There exist 6 exothermal reactions during heating the amorphous Ni69Fe8P23 alloy continuously.The activation energies of exothermal reactions at 248,303,322,350,376 and 442 ℃ are 131.5,111.6,237.8,253.6 and 238.5 kJ/mol,respectively.The amorphous Ni60Fe22P18 alloy crystallizes when the heating temperature is beyond 250 ℃.The stable crystallization phases consist of Ni(Fe)and Ni3P-type compounds Ni3P,Fe3P,(Fe,Ni)3P.The pressure and fraction have influence on the stability of amorphous alloy.Rubbing above the critical pressure crystallization will take place on the fractional surface.The crystallization phases due to pressure and fraction are different from those due to heating.It is the crystallization that increases the wear resistance of Ni-Fe-P coating under higher pressure.

Effects of substituting Ni with M (M=Cu, Al and Mn) on microstructures and electrochemical characteristics of La-Mg-Ni system (PuNi_3-type) electrode alloys

In order to improve the electrochemical cycle stability of La-Mg-Ni system (PuNi3-type) hydrogen storage alloy, Ni in the alloys was partially substituted by M (M=Cu, Al, Mn). A new La-Mg-Ni system electrode alloys La0.7Mg0.3Ni2.55-xCo0.45Mx (M=Cu, Al, Mn; x=0, 0.1) were prepared by casting and rapid quenching. The effects of element substitution and rapid quenching on the microstructures and electrochemical performances of the alloys were investigated. The results by XRD, SEM and TEM show that the alloys have a multiphase structure, including the (La, Mg)Ni3 phase, the LaNi5 phase and the LaNi2 phase. The rapid quenching and element substitution have an imperceptible influence on the phase compositions of the alloys, but both change the phase abundance of the alloys. The rapid quenching significantly improves the composition homogeneity of the alloys and markedly decreases the grain size of the alloys. The Cu substitution promotes the formation of an amorphous phase in the as-quenched alloy, and a reversal result by the Al substitution. The electrochemical measurement indicates that the element substitution decreases the discharge capacity of the alloys, whereas it obviously improves the cycle stability of the alloys. The positive influence of element substitution on the cycle life of the alloys is in sequence Al>Cu>Mn, and negative influence on the discharge capacity is in sequence Al>Mn>Cu. The rapid quenching significantly enhances the cycle stability of the alloys, but it leads to a different extent decrease of the discharge capacity of the alloys.

Wear mechanism of electrodeposited amorphous Ni-Fe-P alloys

The wear mechanism of amorphous Ni-Fe-P coating was discussed. The wear resistance of the amorphous Ni-Fe-P coatings was tested on a Timken wear apparatus, and the wear track of the amorphous Ni-Fe-P coatings as-deposited and heated at various temperatures was observed by SEM. The results show that the wear resistance reaches a maximum value at NaHPO2·H2O concentration of 5 g/L, and heating at 400 ℃. The wear mode of the coating will change with the heating temperature increasing from pitting+plowing at 200 ℃ to pitting at 400 ℃, and to plowing at 600 ℃. The pits on the worn surface of the amorphous Ni-Fe-P coating result from the tribo-fatigue fracture. The cracks of spalling initiate at pits and propagate at certain angle with the sliding direction on surface, and then extend into sub-surface along the poor P layers or the interface between layers. Finally under repeated action of the stress in the rubbing process the cracks meet and the debris forms. The generation of the pits and spalling is related with the internal stress, brittleness and layer structure of the amorphous Ni-Fe-P coating.

A new method to improve surface morphology of Ni-Fe-Mo-Co alloy electrode and its catalytic activity for HER

A new pretreatment method has been developed to improve the catalytic activity of the Ni-Fe-Mo-Co alloy electrode for hydrogen evolution reaction （HER）. The procedure involves pre-electrolyzing the Ni-Fe-Mo-Co alloy electrode in 30% KOH solution containing 10% potassium sodium tartrate at 70℃ for 2 h, until some of the Mo and Fe elements are leached out. The surface morphology of the Ni-Fe-Mo-Co alloy demonstrates a unique hive-like structure after the pre- treatment, which has the pore size in a nanometer range （about 50 nm）, a very large real surface area, and good stability. The results of the electrochemical studies show that compared to other similar electrode materials and the treated Ni-Fe-Mo-Co electrode by leaching method, the pre-treated Ni-Fe-Mo-Co electrode has a much lower overpotential and much higher exchange current density for HER. In addition, a long-term continuous electrolysis test with a current interruption shows that the Ni-Fe-Mo-Co alloy has excellent catalytic stability.

Electrodeposited Ni,Fe,Co and Cu single and multilayer nanowire arrays on anodic aluminum oxide template

The Ni, Fe, Co and Cu single and multilayer nanowire arrays to make perpendicular magnetic recording media were fabricated with nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates from Watt solution and additives by the DC electrodeposition. The results show that the diameters of Ni, Fe, Co and Cu single and multilayer nanowires in AAO templates are 40-80 nm and the lengths are about 30 μm with the aspect ratio of 350-750. The magnetic properties of the prepared nanowires are different under different electrodepositing conditions. The remanences (Br) of Ni/Cu/Fe multilayer nanowires are lower than those of others multilayer nanowires, and coercivity (Hc) of Ni/Cu/Fe multilayer nanowires are lower than those of others multilayer nanowires. These are compatible with the required conditions of high density magnetic media devices that should have the low coercivity to easily success magnetization and high remanence to keep magnetization after removal of magnetic field.

Cycle Stabilities of La_(0.7)Mg_(0.3)Ni_(2.55-x)Co_(0.45)M_x (M=Fe, Cu, Al;x=0, 0.1) Electrode Alloys Prepared by Casting and Rapid Quenching

La-Mg-Ni system (PuNi3-type) hydrogen storage alloys La0.7Mg0.3Ni2.55-xCo0.45Mx (M=Fe, Cu, Al; x=0, 0.1) were prepared by casting and rapid quenching. Aiming to improve the cycle stabilities of the alloys, Ni in the alloy was partly substituted by Fe, Cu and Al. The effects of the substitution of Fe, Cu and Al for Ni and the rapid quenching on the microstructures and electrochemical properties of the alloys were investigated in detail. The results obtained by XRD, SEM and TEM indicate that the element substitution has no influence on the phase compositions of the alloys, but it changes the phase abundances of the alloys. Particularly, the substitution of Al and Cu obviously increases the amount of the LaNi2 phase. The substitution of Al and Fe leads to a great refinement of the as-quenched alloy′s grains. The substitution of Al strongly restrains the formation of the amorphous in the as-quenched alloy, but the substitution of Fe and Cu is quite helpful for the formation of an amorphous phase. The effects of the substitution of Fe, Cu and Al on the cycle stabilities of the as-cast and quenched alloys are different. The positive impact of the substitution elements on the cycle stabilities of the as-cast alloys is ranked in proper order Al>Fe>Cu, and for as-quenched alloys, the order is Fe>Al>Cu. Rapid quenching engenders an unconscious influence on the phase composition, but it markedly enhances the cycle stabilities of the alloys.

Electrodeposition and characterization of nanocrystalline Fe-Ni-Cr alloy coatings synthesized via pulse current method

The nanocrystalline Fe-Ni-Cr coatings were electrodeposited by using the pulse current technique.The SEM results showed that the coatings had a mixed morphology of small nodules and fine cauliflower structures at low current densities.Also,the Cr content was increased at expense of Fe and Ni contents at high current densities.XRD patterns confirmed that the pulse current density had a positive effect on the grain refinement.The results of vibrating sample magnetometer(VSM)measurements demonstrated that by increasing the current density,the saturation magnetization was decreased and the coercivity was increased due to the enhancement of Cr content and the reduction of the grain size.The friction coefficient and wear rate values were decreased by increasing the pulse current density.Also,both the adhesive and abrasive wear mechanisms were observed on the worn surfaces.The abrasive grooves and the amount of wear debris were decreased by increasing the pulse current density.