ELECTRODEPOSITION OF Ni-BASED COMPOSITE COATINGS CONTAINING CERIUM COMPOUNDS FROM A DEEP EUTECTIC SOLVENT AND THEIR ELECTROCATALYTIC PERFORMANCE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15421/jchemtech.v33i4.337132Keywords:
electrodeposition, nickel, ceria, deep eutectic solvent, composite coating, green hydrogen production, urea oxidation reaction, electrocatalysisAbstract
This work examines the electrodeposition of Ni-based composite coatings containing cerium compounds from a eutectic mixture of choline chloride and urea (reline), a typical deep eutectic solvent. The data reveal that depending on the concentrations of NiCl2×6H2O and CeCl3×7H2O dissolved in reline, coatings containing up to 49 wt.% cerium, present as embedded CeO2, can be formed within an electrochemically deposited nanocrystalline nickel matrix. Variation of the Ni(II) and Ce(III) salt concentrations strongly influences the resulting surface morphology. Reaction schemes for the formation of these composite coatings are proposed, and cyclic voltammetry with successive scan cycles was used to identify the potential windows in which the relevant electrochemical reactions occur in reline-based solutions. The deposited coatings were tested as electrocatalysts for water electrolysis in 1 M NaOH. Special attention was paid to the electrocatalytic activity of the Ni-based composite coatings toward the anodic oxidation of urea, a potential alternative to the oxygen evolution reaction in green hydrogen production. Incorporation of CeO2 into the nickel matrix led to a pronounced enhancement of electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution, oxygen evolution and urea oxidation in alkaline aqueous solution. The proposed composite coatings may find application as multifunctional catalysts for green hydrogen generation. Moreover, adjusting the Ni(II) and Ce(III) concentrations in the deep eutectic solvent-based plating bath enables flexible and controlled tuning of the electrocatalytic behavior of deposited coatings.
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