Nanodiamond Electrodes for Hydrogen Production by Blectrolysis

Abstract

Hydrogen production by water electrolysis is limited by the efficiency of current catalytic materials and the overall process cost. High overpotentials and expensive catalysts raise energy use and capital expenditures, constraining scale-up. Nanodiamond composite electrodes for the hydrogen evolution reaction were developed using two routes: a muffle furnace method and a bell jar chemical reactor. Formulations incorporated nanodiamond powder into a composite matrix with aluminum titanate, lithium chloride, boron, tantalum, and graphene, then were pressed into cylindrical pellets. Structural integrity and catalytic activity were tested in alkaline media prior to electrolysis. Volumetric gas collection was used to quantify hydrogen generation rates and benchmark against graphite and Pt controls. This study offers insights into the use of nanomaterials for hydrogen evolution, showing that nanodiamond electrodes exhibit strong catalytic response at low overpotential.