Hydrogen Evolution and Storage on Polyaniline and Polypyrrole as Electrocatalyst

Abstract

CPs such as Polyaniline (PANI), Polypyrrole (Ppy) coated on the copper electrode is used to study the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) in acidic and alkaline solution (1M H2SO4 and NaOH). Employing, phenomenological thermodynamic approach, the solvated work function (Xand#934;M) of PANI modified Cu substrate in each medium was evaluated. In acidic medium, the Hydrogen evolution was high on PANI modified Cu than on the bare Cu as confirmed by gas chromatography. Grotthus mechanism was supported by LSV, 1H and 13CNMR analysis. It was demonstrated by these studies that PANI modified Cu as a better catalyst for HER than Cu (and#8773;1.85 times). In the case of alkaline solution, on PANI modified Cu, evolved H2 is twice that of bare Cu. PANI in the form of Emeraldine salt (ES) got converted to Emeraldine base (EB) in alkaline solution newline