Synthesis and water splitting performance of intermetallic ferric-nickel silicide alloy. (IMAGE)

Tsinghua University Press

Synthesis and water splitting performance of intermetallic ferric-nickel silicide alloy.

Caption

Natural clay magadiite containing silicon (Si) was heated in a sealed vessel in a water-based solution containing iron chloride (FeCl3) and nickel chloride (NiCl2) to create a metallic silicate made up of nickel (Ni), iron (Fe) and Si.  The metallic silicate was then reduced by adding electrons to metallic silicate atoms with magnesium, salt and heat to create the more organized intermetallic silicide (ferric-nickel silicide) structure.  The graph illustrates the lower voltage required for the ferric-nickel silicide (FeNiSi) alloy electrocatalyst to produce hydrogen and oxygen gas compared to NiSi and FeSi alloys.

Credit

Nano Research Energy, Tsinghua University Press

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