All Platinum-Group-Metal-Free Alkaline Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers Using Direct Hydrothermal Catalyst Deposition on Raney Ni Substrate

Abstract

Green hydrogen produced via water electrolysis powered by renewable energy sources promises the decarbonization of large sectors of the economy. Despite alkaline environments that enable use of non-noble, abundant materials, state-of-the-art anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) uses noble-metal-based catalysts. Developing non-noble-metal-based anodes would enhance the competitiveness of AEMWEs. Herein, an anode fabricated by hydrothermal deposition of binder-free NiFe-LDH onto Raney Ni (RNi) substrates is described. The introduced platinum-group-metal-free AEMWEs display high performance of 1 A cm–2 at 1.9 V cell voltage. Physicochemical characterization highlights the successful combination of NiFe-LDH with RNi applying a scalable synthesis offering feasibility to fabricate active and durable electrodes for AEMWEs.