Local Structure of Pulse Plated Ni Rich Ni-Zn Alloys and Its Effect on the Electrocatalytic Activity in the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Journal article, 2012

Ni rich NiZn alloys were prepared on Pt substrates by galvanostatic pulse plating from baths of variable Ni:Zn ratio. The pulse plated NiZn alloys are crystallographically amorphous and their overall chemical composition shows relatively weak dependence on the pulse plating conditions. The local structure of the NiZn alloys determined from EXAFS spectra conforms to a model assuming coexistence of cubic and hexagonal-like arrangements. In the case of alloys plated from baths of lowZn content the cubic environment is zinc free and in the case of alloys plated from bath of high Zn content the Zn enters both cubic and hexagonal arrangement. The fraction of each of the coexisting local structures reflects the pulse plating conditions. The Ni rich NiZn alloys are active in the hydrogen evolution reaction showing electrocatalytic activity superior to that of bulk nickel. The electrocatalytic activity of the alloy samples in hydrogen evolution increases with increasing fraction of hexagonal local structure. This behavior is attributed to the residual strain mainly in the hexagonal-like environment.

Author

Gert Göransson

University of Gothenburg

Matthias Peter

J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS

Jiri Franc

J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS

Valery Petrykin

J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS

Elisabet Ahlberg

University of Gothenburg

Petr Krtil

J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS

Journal of the Electrochemical Society

0013-4651 (ISSN) 1945-7111 (eISSN)

Vol. 159 9 D555-D562

Subject Categories

Physical Chemistry

DOI

10.1149/2.047209jes

More information

Latest update

5/24/2024