Electrochemical hydrogen evolution of multi-walled carbon nanotube/micro-hybrid composite decorated with Ni nanoparticles as catalyst through electroless deposition process

Hydrogen evolution of multi-walled nanotube (MWCNT)/micro-hybrid polymer composite, decorated with Ni nanoparticles through electroless deposition process is studied by the electrochemical method. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) is utilized to clearly study the electrochemical hydrogen storage/evolution behavior of the composite through a potential window ranging from -1.60 to +0.60 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Hydrogen adsorption/desorption peaks are positioned at -1.52 and -0.05 V. respectively. Chronoamperometry is also applied to estimate active surface area (0.145 m(2) g(-1)) of the composite as well as the diffusion coefficient (3.4 x 10(-11) m(2) s(-1)) of adsorbed hydrogen process. According to the chrono-charge/discharge technique, the capacity of fabricated Ni-MWCNT/micro-hybrid composite is estimated to be 2.98 wt.% during charging for a certain time (40 min). (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.