Characterization of Ni-Mo based Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution from Water

Abstract

This thesis showed the viability of Ni-Mo as a cathode for water splitting, as well as discussing Ni-Fe-S as an option to be used as an anode. Thorough characterization methods for the electrodes were established to show that despite their apparent stability there are still leaching processes ongoing. Through these experiments we came to question things often assumed in literature, such as electrolyte cations being spectator species and the use of double layer capacitance as a measure of surface area. With this, the thesis aims to show that electrochemistry is complex and all components should be considered with care when measuring and when trying to determine catalyst stability. We continued with using these electrocatalyst materials in demonstration labscale setups to show that the materials are able to operate under real, solarcell driven conditions and furthermore could be combined with CO2 methanation to store energy from renewable sources in chemical via carbon utilization. The methane, for example, can be injected in the existing grid and used in chemical industry as well as a fuel.