Cost-effective design of the alkaline electrolyser for enhanced electrochemical performance and reduced electrode degradation

Abstract

An alkaline electrolyser was developed and characterized. Three different metals, working as the electrode, were analysed using electrochemical methods to determine the best electrochemical performance. The performance of the Stainless Steel (SS316) electrode and the nickel electrode is much better than that of the conventional iron electrode. Degradation analysis of the electrode materials highlighted the need for the material to be durable and resistant to corrosion from an alkaline environment. Through SEM and mass analysis, it is shown that Nickel exhibits the strongest long-term resistance to surface and electrochemical performance degradation, when compared with Mild Steel (Iron) and SS316.