Characterization of Ni:Zn:S materials for use in alkaline electrolysis

'Full-text:' This work describes the synthesis of the Ni:Zn:S materials, which are prepared on a substratum of stainless steel, to use them as electrodes in an alkaline electrolyzer. The synthesis of the electrodes was carried out making a nickel electrodeposit on a substratum of stainless steel and then a ZnS film was deposited using the technique of chemical bath. After of it these electrodes were annealed at 3 different temperatures (200, 250, 300oC) in an inert atmosphere. The studies of microscopy of electronic sweeping (SEM) and diffraction of rays X (XRD) shows that the obtained electrodes are polycrystallines, being obtained in the case of the nickel electrodes, grain sizes of approximately 1 ·m. In the electrodes in which we used chemical bath we found traces of zinc sulfide (phase wurtzita). The analyses of cyclic voltametry obtained at ambient temperature showed good potentials for water splitting of the electrodes annealed at 200 and 300oC. These overpotentials are in 1300 mV, inferior in 25 mV to the nickel electrode. The cronoamperometry curves obtained at ambient temperature showed that both electrodes show an appropriate stability. It is important to also mention that all the Ni:Zn:S electrodes have a good anodic sobrepotential to be used as anodes in an alkaline electrolyzer. (author)