Russian chemists have developed a method for making catalysts that improve how well oxygen and hydrogen can be extracted from water. The Russian Science Foundation’s press service reported on the advancement of “Hi-tech”.
New electrocatalysts based on nickel, copper, and carbon fiber were created by researchers at the A.F. Ioffe of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Carbon nanotubes with nickel-copper coatings boost the effectiveness of extracting pure oxygen from water for medical uses and hydrogen for energy.
The researchers employed the technique of electrodeposition from intricate ammonium-sulfosalicylic electrolytes to generate catalysts. An electrochemical process produced the metal layer on the electrode surface.
The scientists coated the electrodes’ surface with extremely thin coatings of metal nanoparticles using the method detailed in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. With nickel plating alone, the carbon microtubes had a thickness of around 1.2 nm and a thickness of about 0.5 nm.
The area of materials with electrochemically active surfaces has increased, according to the researchers, five times for nickel (from 265 to 1400 cm2) and nearly three times (up to 780 cm2) for nickel-copper catalysts, respectively, due to changes in electrode production technique.
The process of electrolysis, or the breakdown of water under the influence of an electric current, allows for the production of hydrogen and oxygen without the release of greenhouse gases. However catalysts are required to speed up the reaction so that the process can progress effectively. The price of creating medical oxygen and green fuel will be brought down by the use of nickel and copper coatings, which are relatively inexpensive metals.
