Tan W, He H, Gao Y, Peng Y, Dai X. Nucleation and growth mechanisms of an electrodeposited Ni-Se-Cu coating on nickel foam.
J Colloid Interface Sci 2021;
600:492-502. [PMID:
34023707 DOI:
10.1016/j.jcis.2021.05.002]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Electrocatalysts for water splitting have been widely explored among recent years. In this study, nickel-selenium-copper (Ni-Se-Cu) coating was synthesized on nickel foam through potentiostatic electrodeposition. The electrochemical kinetics and nucleation mechanisms of the deposition were investigated, and the diffusion coefficient D from different deposition potentials and temperatures was calculated. Results reveal that the electrodeposition of Ni-Se-Cu follows an instantaneous nucleation and diffusion-controlled three-dimensional (3D) growth mechanism. Deposition potential and bath temperature slightly effect the nucleation mechanism of electrodeposition. The apparent activation energy Ea of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 1.0 M KOH electrolyte of Ni-Se-Cu is 21.1 kJ·mol-1, which is lower than that of Ni-Se (37.7 kJ·mol-1). The majority phase formed by nickel and selenium is Ni3Se2, and a Ni(Cu) solid solution forms after the incorporation of Cu atoms into a Ni lattice.
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