Electrochemical determination of niobium cathode as an efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen generation in acidic media

Abstract Hydrogen gas (H2) is notified as a renewable energy carrier. It is wanted to discover a low-cost electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) to substitute the high-cost Pt in electrolysis cell. Niobium electrocatalyst nominated to substitute noble materials for electrocatalytic H2 production and its electrochemical manner was estimated in H2SO4 acid of various concentrations utilizing a steady-state polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The influences of acid concentration, cathodic potential and temperature on the H2 creation were examined. The outcomes display that HER on Nb electrode proceeds by the Volmer-Heyrovsky mechanism. EIS tests, under open circuit and under cathodic polarization, were performed and the fitting has been done utilizing a suggested model for the electrode/electrolyte interface. Apparent activation energies (Ea) were estimated to be ca. 10.5 kJ mol−1 for the HER on Nb. Thus, Nb is a good electrocatalyst for the cathodic H2 manufacturing.