This thesis discusses results on the development of three-dimensional (3D) Ni-based electrocatalytic layers for hydrogen production by water electrolysis in an acidic medium. This is of relevance to the development of polymer-electrolyte-membrane (PEM) hydrogen generators, which are promising hydrogen production systems suitable for both residential and industrial applications. / It was demonstrated that patterning of a glassy carbon electrode substrate with a 3D polyaniline (PANI) matrix is a convenient way of increasing the electrocatalytically active surface area of electrodeposited Ni, and hence its apparent electrocatalytic activity. The optimized PANI/Ni electrocatalyst layer showed a significantly higher activity in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) then a commercially available Ni-plate surface (control surface). / It was also demonstrated that it is possible to produce a Ni-based HER electrocatalyst layer by synthesizing Ni nanoparticles and supporting them on Vulcan carbon. This electrocatalyst also offered a significantly higher electrocatalytic activity in the HER then the control surface, but lower then the optimized PANI/Ni electrocatalyst. / The electrocatalytic activity of the optimized PANI/Ni layer was also compared to the activity of a 3D catalyst produced by electro-coating a porous reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) substrate with Ni. This electrocatalyst showed the highest HER electrocatalytic activity among the investigated layers when tested under potentiodynamic polarization conditions. However, under the potentiostatic conditions, the optimized PANI/Ni layer showed the highest electrocatalytic activity. / The mechanisms and kinetics of the HER on the produced electrocatalysts was also investigated, as well as the electrocatalyst layers' surface morphology and crystalline structure.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.112559 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Bou-Saleh, Ziad. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Engineering (Department of Chemical Engineering.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002763503, proquestno: AAIMR51449, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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