Studies on the hydrogen evolution reaction on different stainless steels

The hydrogen generation by water electrolysis process is a promising technology. The materials commonly utilized for water electrolysis are those based on Raney Nickel and their alloys, but these materials are expensive. We choose a material with nickel presence, more cheap and versatile like stainless steel. In this work, we report the study of hydrogen evolution reaction (her) on different stainless steel electrodes in alkaline solutions (NaOH and KOH). The electrochemical behavior of stainless steel in alkaline medium was studied by cyclic voltammetry. In addition, we designed and developed an alkaline electrohydrolyzer prototype which consists of the anode and cathode electrodes which were made of different types of stainless steel and the electrolyte was KOH. We determined the appropriate electrolyte, stainless steel electrode and voltage for the efficient hydrogen production. (C) 2007 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.