Part II: NiMoO4 Nanostructures Synthesized by the Solution Combustion Method: A Parametric Study on the Influence of Material Synthesis and Electrode-Fabrication Parameters on the Electrocatalytic Activity in the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Earth-abundant NiMo-oxide nanostructures were investigated as efficient electrocatalytic materials for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic media. Synthesis and non-synthesis parameters were thoroughly studied. For the non-synthesis parameters, the variation in Nafion loading resulted in a volcano-like trend, while the change in the electrocatalyst loading showed that the marginal benefit of high loadings attenuates due to mass-transfer limitations. The addition of carbon black to the electrocatalyst layer improved the HER performance at low loadings. Different carbon black grades showed a varying influence on the HER performance. Regarding the synthesis parameters, a calcination temperature of 500 °C, a calcination time between 20 and 720 min, a stoichiometric composition (Ni/Mo = 1), an acidic precursor solution, and a fuel-lean system were conditions that yielded the highest HER activity. The in-house NiMoO4/CB/Nafion electrocatalyst layer was found to offer a better long-term performance than the commercial Pt/C.