Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Apr 14;18(8):e202402150.
doi: 10.1002/cssc.202402150. Epub 2024 Dec 19.

The Roles of Surface Hydrogen and Hydroxyl in Alkaline Hydrogen Oxidation on Ni-Based Electrocatalysts

Xiaoyu Tian  1 , Jiaxiang Liu  2 , Pengcheng Zhao  1 , Xianping Li  1 , Zhuo Li  1 , Wenchao Sheng  1
Affiliations

The Roles of Surface Hydrogen and Hydroxyl in Alkaline Hydrogen Oxidation on Ni-Based Electrocatalysts

Xiaoyu Tian et al. ChemSusChem. .

Abstract

One important target for anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) is to enable the application of anode non-precious metal hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) catalyst. Nickel presents a promising candidate for alkaline HOR; yet, its practical application is hampered by the intrinsically sluggish activity and poor stability. Herein, a series of Ni-based metals (Ni5Mo, Ni25Co, Ni14W and Ni) are electrodeposited as model catalysts to systematically explore the alkaline HOR by considering the role of adsorbed hydroxyl (OHad). Spectroscopic studies together with density functional theory calculations shed light on the beneficial effect of transition metal M (M=Mo, Co, W) alloying/doping on HOR by introducing the charge transfer from M to Ni and down shifting Ni 3d band center. The HOR specific activities on Ni-based catalysts reveal a volcano-type relationship with the hydrogen binding energy (HBE). The strongly adsorbed OHad is proven to induce deactivation for Ni active sites, and the deactivation potential is OHad binding energy (OHBE) dependent. This study adds new insight into the HOR mechanism and stability of Ni-based electrocatalysts, providing a new avenue for the rational design of highly efficient and robust alkaline HOR catalysts.

Keywords: Alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction; Deactivation; Hydrogen binding energy; Hydroxyl binding energy; Nickel-based electrocatalyst.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. S. Gottesfeld, et al., J. Power Sources 2018, 375, 170–184.
    1. Y. Yang, et al., Chem. Rev. 2022, 122, 6117–6321.
    1. J. Durst, et al., Energy Environ. Sci. 2014, 7, 2255–2260.
    1. W. Sheng, H. A. Gasteiger, Y. Shao Horn, J. Electrochem. Soc. 2010, 157, B1529–B1536.
    1. S. Lu, Z. Zhuang, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 5156–5163.