Dimensionally stable NiFe@Co/Ti nanoporous electrodes by reactive deposition for water electrolysis

The development of efficient and dimensionally stable electrode plates is of a significant challenge for the oxygen evolution reaction in the industrial water electrolysis process. In this work, structurally stable electrode plates are developed based on the nanostructured NiFe catalysts on highly porous and dimensionally stable Co reactive deposited on Ti substrates, NiFe@Co/Ti. SEM analysis shows the hierarchically structured micro- and nano-porous structure of the Co electrode on Ti substrates by reactive deposition route. The surface area of the reactive deposited Co is 3 times larger than that of the conventional electrodeposited Co electrode, providing highly porous and stable base for the subsequent deposition of NiFe electrocatalysts. The as-prepared NiFe@Co/Ti electrode exhibits high catalytic activity towards oxygen evolution in alkaline solutions, achieving an onset potential of as low as 1.44 V (η = 210 mV) and delivering a current of 10 mA cm−2 at an overpotential of 0.26 V. Most importantly, the electrode shows excellent stability with negligible degradation under the discharge current density at 100 mA cm−2 for 100 h, demonstrating the practical applicability of the NiFe@Co/Ti nanostructured electrodes for industrial scale water electrolysis.