Raney Nickel Mesh Electrode-Aegis

Detailed Specifications

While highly effective, Raney nickel mesh electrodes are sometimes compared to newer materials:

Feature	Raney Nickel Mesh Electrode	Modern Alternatives (e.g., Pt/C, Ni-Mo alloys on PTL)
Cost	Low (uses abundant Ni).	High for Pt-based; moderate for advanced Ni alloys.
Activity	Very High (geometric area).	Can be higher (Pt) or comparable (advanced alloys).
Stability	Good in alkali, but can slowly deactivate (sintering, poisoning).	Pt/C can degrade in alkali; some new alloys offer excellent stability.
Surface Area	Extremely high (internal pores).	High, but often from nano-particles on a support.
Technology Maturity	Mature, industrial-scale.	Some are emerging (R&D to early commercial).

Features

Exceptionally High Surface Area: The primary advantage. The leaching process creates a nano-porous structure, exposing a vast number of active nickel sites.
High Catalytic Activity: Excellent for reactions involving hydrogen (e.g., hydrogen evolution, hydrogenation) and oxygen (e.g., oxygen reduction) due to nickel’s inherent properties and the surface area.
Good Stability in Alkaline Media: Raney nickel is stable and commonly used in concentrated KOH or NaOH electrolytes, which is crucial for alkaline water electrolysis and fuel cells.
Gas Permeability: The mesh structure combined with the porous catalyst facilitates efficient three-phase (solid catalyst/liquid electrolyte/gas reactant) contact, which is critical for gas diffusion electrodes.
Established Manufacturing: The process for making Raney-type catalysts is well-known and scalable.

Applications

Alkaline Water Electrolysis (AWE):
- Function: Used as the cathode for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER).
- Why: It is a highly active, durable, and cost-effective catalyst for producing hydrogen in traditional industrial electrolyzers. Its high surface area reduces the overpotential for HER, improving efficiency.
Alkaline Fuel Cells (AFCs):
- Function: Often used as the anode for the Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction (HOR).
- Why: It efficiently catalyzes the splitting of hydrogen fuel in the alkaline environment. Raney nickel anodes have been a cornerstone of historical AFC technology (e.g., NASA space shuttle).
Industrial Electrochemical Hydrogenation:
- Function: As a cathode to hydrogenate organic compounds.
- Why: Its high activity allows for selective hydrogenation of various substrates at lower temperatures and pressures compared to thermal catalytic processes.
Chlor-Alkali Electrolysis (Historical/Modern Variants):
- Function: As a cathode in some cell designs.
- Why: Its efficiency in HER improves the overall energy consumption of chlorine and caustic soda production.