I don't remember seeing this subject discussed here so :
A quick preview from the abstract :
"Improving the sluggish kinetics for the electrochemical reduction of
water to molecular hydrogen in alkaline environments
is one key to reducing the high overpotentials
and associated energy losses in water-alkali and chlor-alkali
electrolyzers.
We found that a controlled arrangement of
nanometer-scale Ni(OH)2 clusters on platinum electrode
surfaces manifests a factor of 8 activity increase in catalyzing the
hydrogen evolution reaction relative to state-of-the-art metal and
metal-oxide catalysts. In a bifunctional effect, the edges of the Ni(OH)2
clusters promoted the dissociation of water and the production of
hydrogen intermediates that then adsorbed on the nearby Pt surfaces and
recombined into molecular
hydrogen. The generation of these hydrogen intermediates could be
further enhanced via Li+-induced destabilization of the HO–H bond, resulting in
a factor of 10 total increase in activity. "
one Ni to rule them all ?
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/334/6060/1256.abstract
