Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis Based on Nickel Ferrite Catalysts

Abstract

A nickel ferrite was prepared by a liquid‐phase method and used as an oxygen evolution catalyst in an anion exchange membrane electrolyser. A complete physicochemical characterization of the catalyst was performed through X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Then, the nickel ferrite was deposited by spray coating technique onto a Fumasep® FAA3‐50 anion‐exchange membrane to realize a catalyst‐coated membrane (CCM), and tested in a 5 cm2 single cell setup in the so‐called zero‐gap configuration. At 60 °C and 2.2 V, a current density of 3 A/cm2 was reached, which is higher than that obtained with NiO and IrO2 commercial catalysts. Moreover, a chronoamperometric test of 120 h highlighted the good stability of the synthesized catalyst.

Effect of the calcination temperature on the characteristics of Ni/Fe-oxide electrocatalysts for application in anion exchange membrane electrolysers

“…Herein, the Ni 2p 3/2 deconvolution seems to have a predominant characteristic of NiFe 2 O 4 for the sample treated at 350 °C, although the presence of NiO cannot be discarded. 29 For Ni 2p spectra (Table 2) of NiFeOx 450 and NiFeOx 550 peak 1 at 854 ± 0.1 eV is ascribed to the Ni 2+ component whereas peak 2 at 855.6 eV is characteristic of Ni 3+ from NiOOH species. Peaks 3 and 4 are related to broad satellite peaks and shake-up lines of NiO, according to the literature.…”

“…Ni/Fe oxide electrocatalysts were obtained by a liquid-phase method via oxalate. 29 Nickel and iron nitrates in stoichiometric ratios 1 : 2 were added in successive steps to the oxalic acid solution. Then, the chemical oxidation was performed by hydrogen peroxide at 35%.…”

“…with the NiFeOx treated at 450 °C, are the highest reported in the literature. 20,21,29,[33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] Fig. 8 shows the durability tests, carried out at 2 V, for the samples that showed the best cell performances.…”

“…The survey spectra of the NiFeOx treated at 350, 450, or 550 °C and the deconvolution of Ni 2p 3/2 , O 1s, and Fe2p 3/2 species were acquired by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Physical Electronics (PHI) 5800-01 using a monochromatic AlK α X-ray source at a power of 350 W. 29,48 XPS data Industrial Chemistry & Materials Paper were processed through a detailed study of the literature for such compounds. [25][26][27][28]48,49 Morphological analysis on the samples, after ultrasonic dispersion of the catalyst in isopropyl alcohol, was carried Industrial Chemistry & Materials Paper out by TEM using a FEI CM12 instrument equipped with LaB 6 filament and a high-resolution camera.…”

Functionalized Graphene Nanofiber-Incorporated Fumion Anion-Exchange Membranes with Enhanced Alkaline Stability and Fuel-Cell Performances

“…FAA3 is a commercial anion-exchange membrane/ionomer commonly utilized in devices for energy conversion and storage, such as fuel cells, water splitting, CO 2 electrolyzers, flow batteries, and diffusion dialysis applications. − The chemical structure of FAA3 consists of a poly­(phenylene oxide) (PPO) backbone with ether bonds and quaternary ammonium groups that function as anion-conducting groups . Despite being used as a commercial membrane, FAA3 has poor electrochemical and physicochemical qualities in terms of hydroxide-ion conductivity, chemical stability, and single-cell performance. ,,− Therefore, the present work provides a simple and cost-effective method for improving the FAA3 anion-exchange membrane by inclusion of c-GNF for AEMFC applications. The consequences of c-GNF incorporation on the performance of the FAA3 membrane including structural and morphological features, ion conductivity, and mechanical and chemical stability were investigated and correlated with those of the pristine FAA3 membrane.…”