Improvement of electrocatalytic activity of the nickel cathode in alkaline electrolysers for hydrogen production: Development of novel NiW-oxide electrode materials

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Hydrogen has been identified as the 'fuel vector' of the future, and has increasingly been considered as the best alternative to fossil fuels. Hydrogen can be produced by electrolysis of water, which provides a completely clean route to the hydrogen economy without the consumption of fossil fuels or the emission of carbon dioxide, especially if supported by solar-, wind-, or hydro- produced electricity. Next Hydrogen Corporation's advanced, multi-MW scale alkaline water electrolyser takes a new and fundamentally different approach to fluid flow in water electrolysis, which allows it to handle much higher current densities than conventional water electrolysers, while also reacting quickly to highly variable and even intermittent power sources, such as wind and solar. However, in order to take full advantage of the company's advanced water electrolyser design, more electroactive and stabile electrodes are needed. The research proposed in the current application aims at developing a new class of metal-oxide cathodes (NixW1-x-oxide) that would enable high hydrogen evolution current densities (and thus higher H2 production rates) at lower input power densities, and better long-term stability / activity than the currently used cathodes, thus ultimately decreasing the H2 production cost. The proposed research team, consisting of recognized experts in the field of electrochemical science and engineering and water electrolysers production is uniquely poised to achieve the proposed objectives and translate the results from the laboratory to the industrial setting. The research will enable the development of a new class of cathodes for H2 generators, reduction in the cost of H2 production, contribution to the promotion of sustainable/renewable hydrogen energy and development of fundamental knowledge related to the design of electroactive materials for H2 generators. It might also enable Next Hydrogen Corporation to open new jobs. The proposed project will be conducted through the close collaboration of researchers from McGill University and experts form Next Hydrogen Corporation, and will ultimately lead to the expansion of the collaboration in the future.