Ternary alloys of Ni-Fe-P for alkaline electrolyzer

Renewable energy resources (solar, wind, ect) could replace fossil fuels but have the disadvantage of being intermittent. From this perspective, the role of hydrogen is crucial. It could fill the role of fuel, storage medium and energy carrier. Prominent among the various methods of hydrogen production is the water-splitting process. This process represents a clean, zero-emission way to produce hydrogen if the electricity comes from renewable sources. However, green hydrogen production by water electrolysis is not economically sustainable. Many researchers are focusing their work on developing low-cost electrode/electrocatalysts with high catalytic activity toward the water-splitting reaction. The main attention is focused on non-noble metal catalysts. In particular, transition metals-based electrocatalysts are considered one of the best options thanks to their stability in alkaline media and electrocatalytic activity. Currently, the most investigated transition metal catalysts includes sulfide, phosphide, and nitride. In addition to the type of material, electrode morphology is another important aspect. Nanostructured shapes have a very high surface area improving the electrocatalytic performance of the electrodes. In this work, a ternary alloy of Ni-Fe-P with nanowires morphology was investigated. The synergistic effect between the three elements ensures a very high electrocatalytic activity. Electrodes were obtained by template electrosynthesis which is a simple, cheap and scalable method. Electrodes morphology was studied by scanning electrode microscopy (SEM). Energy dipersive spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the presence of three elements. Electrodes were tested both as cathodes and anodes by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Quasi Steady State Polarization (QSSP) and Galvanostatic Test. All the tests were performed in 30% w/w KOH aqueous solution and at room temperature. The obtained results were compared with those obtained in our previous work relative to the behavior of binary alloy of Ni-Fe NWs. Preliminary results show a better performance of the ternary alloy than binary ones.