Evaluation of Raney–nickel cathodes prepared with aluminum powder and tin powder

Raney–Ni cathodes were prepared on nickel wire from aluminum powder and tin powder by heat treatment. The influence of tin addition to the Raney–Ni electrode on the polarization characteristics of the hydrogen evolution reaction was studied in 1 M NaOH at 303 K. The surface layer of the tin added Raney–Ni electrode was composed of nickel, aluminum, and tin. The crystallite structure of the surface was the NiAl phase and its X-ray diffraction pattern was broadened. The tin-added Raney–Ni electrode had a high catalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction. The Tafel slope of the tin-added Raney–Ni electrode decreased from 120 mV/decade to 70 mV/decade. It was suggested that its mechanism of the hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline solution was different from that of the nickel electrode.