A New Concept for the Electrosynthesis of Nanosized Nickel Oxyhydroxide Alloys for Alkaline Oxygen Evolution

Abstract

The objective of this concept article is to develop a new method for synthesizing nickel hydroxides, with a special interest in nickel oxyhydroxide (NiOx), which is extensively studied as an electrocatalyst for the alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in water electrolysis for hydrogen generation. The adoption of hydrogen economy faces several challenges, but effective OER catalysts can help to generate hydrogen cost-effectively for energy. We propose using the electrodeposition of NiOx from a redox surfactant microemulsion to create nanoscale NiOx particles that enhance the material’s electronic and geometric properties, leading to maximum energy efficiency for the OER. The microemulsion approach is a bottom-up technique that can be performed at low temperatures, making it a low-cost method. This technique can be used to synthesize other nanoscale materials.