ELECTRODE SPECIFICATION
DEPOSITIONElectroless Deposition on Large-Area Ni Foam
Our bifunctional NiCo catalyst is deposited on Ni foam by an electroless process. Electroless deposition does not require an external power source during the coating step. We use this process to produce electrodes from 100 to 1000 cm2 area.
ELECTRODE SPEC
DEPOSITION
This spec
DEPOSITION
HER overpotential
@ 100 mA/cm² (no IR)
OER overpotential
@ 100 mA/cm² (no IR)
Cell @ 0.5 A/cm² / 60 °C
91.4% efficiency
1000-hour drift
@ 0.5 A/cm² / 40 °C
What electroless deposition is
Electroless deposition (also called autocatalytic deposition) is a coating process in which metal ions in solution are reduced and deposited onto a substrate by a chemical reducing agent in the bath, without an external power source. The reaction is autocatalytic: once a layer is deposited, it catalyzes further deposition.
Our bifunctional NiCo electrode is produced by electroless deposition of a bi-metallic NiCo catalyst onto Ni foam (100 to 1000 cm2). The deposited layer is what gives the electrode its bifunctional HER/OER activity: 80 mV HER and 260 mV OER overpotential at 100 mA/cm2 in 30 wt% KOH (no IR correction).
Substrate compatibility
Electroless deposition is compatible with the open-porosity structure of Ni foam. The reactant solution wets the internal surface of the foam, and deposition occurs across the three-dimensional pore network. This allows the catalyst layer to follow the substrate's geometry across its full thickness.
The substrate size we use ranges from 100 to 1000 cm2. The same electroless process is applied across that range.
Cell-level performance with electroless-deposited NiCo
In a 5 cm2 AEM cell with the electroless-deposited bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides and a commercial Zirfon separator (500 um), 0.5 A/cm2 at 1.62 V at 60 deg C (91.4% efficiency). 1.0 A/cm2 at 1.79 V at 60 deg C. These numbers reflect the integrated behavior of the deposition process, the catalyst chemistry, and the substrate.
Durability of the electroless-deposited layer
The 1000-hour run on the bifunctional NiCo electrode (electroless-deposited on Ni foam) and commercial Zirfon separator at 0.5 A/cm2 / 40 deg C / 30 wt% KOH showed 21 uV/hr voltage drift, with ΔV before/after LSV of 30 mV at the operating point. The electroless-deposited layer held its function across 1000 hours of continuous operation.
Where this specification matters
Industrial applications where electroless deposition process is a primary qualification metric.
Frequently asked questions
How is electroless deposition process measured?
All published values were measured in a 5 cm² AEM cell with our bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides, 30 wt% KOH electrolyte, zero-gap assembly, and a commercial Zirfon separator (500 µm) as the membrane reference. Overpotentials are reported without IR correction.
Can I reproduce this number on my own cell?
Yes. Bench-scale 5 cm² coupons matching the size used in our published AEM test cell are available. Reproducing the cell conditions (30 wt% KOH, zero-gap, commercial Zirfon separator, bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides) lets a customer team confirm the published number directly.
What substrate sizes can I order?
We produce the bifunctional NiCo electrode on Ni foam in the 100 to 1000 cm² size range. Bench-scale coupons and pilot-scale electrodes both ship from this same product line. Specific sizes can be discussed for OEM stack integration.
Ready to Evaluate IONZERA?
Request a sample to test IONZERA in your application. Our engineering team will support you through qualification and integration.
Request Electrode Sample