Faculty Publications

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Novel Fe-Ni-Graphene composite electrode for hydrogen production
(Elsevier Ltd, 2015) Badrayyana, S.; Bhat, D.K.; Shenoy, U.S.; Ullal, Y.; Hegde, A.
We have developed a novel, efficient and economical composite electrode for hydrogen production. The electrode has been formed by embedding graphene in the Fe-Ni matrix via room temperature electrodeposition. The obtained active coatings have been tested for their efficiency and performance as electrode surfaces for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 6 M KOH by cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry techniques. The coating obtained at 60 mA cm-2 exhibited approximately 3 times higher activity for hydrogen production than that of binary Fe-Ni alloy. Addition of graphene to electrolyte bath resulted in porous 3D projections of nano-sized spheres of Fe-Ni on the surface of graphene, which effectively increased the electrochemically active surface area. XPS analysis results showed the equal distribution of both Ni metal and NiO active sites on the composite. The addition of graphene favoured the deposition of metallic nickel, which accelerated the rate determining proton discharge reaction. All these factors remarkably enhanced the HER activity of Fe-Ni-Graphene (Fe-Ni-G) composite electrode. The Tafel slope analysis showed that the HER follows Volmer-Tafel mechanism. The structure-property relationship of Fe-Ni-G coating has been discussed by interpreting field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis results. © 2015 Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Modification of Ni-P alloy coatings for better hydrogen production by electrochemical dissolution and TiO2 nanoparticles
(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2016) Elias, L.; Hegde, A.
This work reports the modification of Ni-P alloy coatings for better hydrogen production by electrochemical dissolution and TiO2 nanoparticle incorporation. The first part is devoted to optimization of a new citrate bath for the development of an efficient electroactive Ni-P electrode material by electrodeposition, using glycerol as an additive. The Ni-P alloys developed at 4.0 A dm-2 and 2.0 A dm-2 were found to be good for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively as demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronopotentiometry (CP) methods. The Ni-P alloy showing good catalytic activity for HER is found to be less active for OER and vice versa. The unique electrocatalytic property of the coatings was attributed to its structure, morphology and composition, confirmed by XRD, SEM and EDS analyses. In the second part, the electrocatalytic activity of Ni-P alloy coatings for HER has been improved further by anodic dissolution and TiO2 nanoparticle incorporation. Drastic improvement in the electrocatalytic activity for HER was found in both anodically treated and Ni-P-TiO2 composite coatings, compared to as-coated Ni-P alloys. The highest electrocatalytic character of the Ni-P-TiO2 composite coating was attributed to a greater number of electroactive centres, affected by TiO2 nanoparticle incorporation, and experimental results are discussed. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2016.
Nano-composites of NiFe-LDH/V Se2 heterostructures for effective water splitting electrocatalyst
(Elsevier Ltd, 2024) Hegde, A.; Mukesh, P.; G, L.S.; Kumar, A.; Nagaraja, H.S.
In the realm of sustainable and environmentally friendly “green-hydrogen” fuel demand, water electrolysis stands as a pathway of hope for the extraction of renewable hydrogen. However, the durability and efficiency of electrocatalysts have been a major challenge in this process, owing to factors like the high costs of noble catalysts (Pt, Ir, Ru, etc.) and their limited stability. Layered Nickel-iron double hydroxides (NiFe-LDH) have shown potential as low-cost and efficient electrocatalysts because of their suitable electronic configuration and distinguished orbital confinement. However, their durability In the realm of sustainable and environmentally friendly “green-hydrogen” fuel demand, water electrolysis stands as a pathway of hope for the extraction of renewable hydrogen. However, the durability and efficiency of electrocatalysts have been a major challenge in this process, owing to factors like the high costs of noble catalysts (Pt, Ir, Ru, etc.) and their limited stability. Layered Nickel-iron double hydroxides (NiFe-LDH) have shown potential as low-cost and efficient electrocatalysts because of their suitable electronic configuration and distinguished orbital confinement. However, their performance and durability in corrosive alkaline water at high current density remain limited. In this regard, one can make the nano-composites of this NiFe-LDH with high electronic conductivity materials and layered structures like VSe2. With this motivation, this work presents a novel electrocatalyst, NiFe-LDH, supported with VSe2 nanosheets (V Se2/NiFe−LDH), designed to address these challenges and enhance water splitting efficiency. Experimental results demonstrate that the heterostructure synergistically reduces charge transfer resistance, increases exposure of active sites, and enhances oxygen gas evolution ability. Consequently, the V Se2/NiFe−LDH electrocatalyst demonstrated superior sustainability, maintaining an elevated current density (500mAcm−2) for over 50 h of continuous electrolysis without noticeable degradation. This research opens up new possibilities and shows that nano-compositing can be a good option for achieving efficient and durable electrocatalysts in alkaline water splitting, thereby contributing to sustainable hydrogen production. © 2024 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC

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