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

氢已被确定为未来的“燃料载体”，并越来越多地被认为是最好的 替代化石燃料。氢可以通过电解水来生产，这提供了完全的 氢经济的清洁途径，不消耗化石燃料或排放二氧化碳， 特别是在太阳能、风能或水力发电的支持下。下一个氢公司的先进， 多兆瓦规模的碱性水电解槽采用了一种全新的、根本不同的方法来处理流体流动， 水电解，这使得它能够处理比传统水更高的电流密度 电解槽，同时也对高度可变甚至间歇性的电源（如风）做出快速反应 和太阳能。然而，为了充分利用公司先进的水电解槽设计， 需要电活性和稳定的电极。本申请中提出的研究旨在 开发一种新的金属氧化物阴极（NixW 1-x-oxide），能够实现高析氢率 在较低的输入功率密度下的电流密度（以及因此较高的H2生产率），以及更好的长期 这与目前使用的阴极相比具有更高的稳定性/活性，因此最终降低了H2生产成本。的 拟议的研究小组，由电化学科学领域的公认专家组成， 工程和水电解槽生产是唯一准备实现拟议的目标， 将实验室的结果转化为工业环境。这项研究将有助于开发一种 用于氢气发生器的新型阴极，降低氢气生产成本，促进 可持续/可再生氢能源和发展有关设计的基本知识， 用于氢气发生器的电活性材料。这也可能使Next Hydrogen Corporation能够创造新的就业机会。 拟议的项目将通过麦吉尔大学研究人员的密切合作进行 和专家组成了Next Hydrogen Corporation，并将最终导致合作的扩大， 未来

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.