Application of ZrO2 and Ni modified carbon nanotube composites as bifunctional water electrolysis catalysts

Abstract

By using carbon nanotube (CNT) as the carrier, Ni as the active center and ZrO₂ as the modifier, an efficient electrocatalytic material (ZrO₂-Ni/CNT) is designed and synthesized in this paper. The structure and properties of the catalyst are characterized by various instrumental analysis methods such as SEM, TEM, XRD and XPS. The electrochemical test results show that the addition of ZrO₂ can significantly improve the catalytic performance of this catalyst in the electrochemical water splitting. In an alkaline solution, ZrO₂-Ni/CNT catalyst displays an exceedingly low overpotential of 169 mV and 249 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm⁻² towards hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction, respectively. This work shows that the modification of ZrO₂ can improve the electrocatalytic activity of Ni-based materials, and the modification strategy can be applied to improve the electrocatalytic activity of commercial Ni-based electrode materials.