Electrocatalytic activities of cathode electrodes for water electrolysis using tetra-alkyl-ammonium-sulfonic acid ionic liquid as electrolyte

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performed with platinum (Pt), nickel (Ni), stainless steel 304 (SS) or glassy carbon (GC) cathodes in 0.1 M 3-triethylammonium-propanesulfonic acid tetrafluoroborate (TEA-PS.BF4) solution is studied using quasi-potentiostatic and impedance spectroscopy techniques. The objective is to compare the catalytic effect on the cathode using different materials to obtain hydrogen by water electrolysis. Furthermore, the catalytic effect of the ionic liquid (IL) on the cathode compared with that of a hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution with same pH value (0.8) is reported. A low activation energy (Ea) of 8.7 kJ mol−1 is found for the glassy carbon cathode. Tafel plots obtained with TEA-PS.BF4 IL suggest the formation of an electroactive layer of IL on the cathode, which may be responsible for the catalytically enhanced performance observed.