Hydrogen Generation by Shimalite Ni Catalyst

Platinum is a suitable electrode for electrochemical production of hydrogen, but it is expensive and its resource availability very limited. Shimalite Ni is a catalyst for reduction in gas chromatography, which commonly used for methane conversion of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, and so on. In this study carbon paste electrode was modified by the proposed catalyst and the modified electrode was used for electrochemical hydrogen evolution in acidic media. Some parameters including oil and catalyst percentage in the paste, pH and supporting electrolyte type were examined. The best conditions and composition was 13% catalyst, 20% paraffin oil and 1.5 M H2SO4. Due to the low cost and high performance of this catalyst, it can be considered a good candidate for production of hydrogen without using Pt. Also against very reports, in this study by applying successive potential cycles on the modified electrode surface, the performance of the electrode improves.