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The electrochemical properties of Ni3C carbide

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Abstract

The electrochemical properties of Ni3C was studied. In acidic sulfate solutions, the carbide is characterized by high overpotential of its oxidation as compared with nickel. In the case of carbide oxidation, the anodic reaction orders with respect to anions are low, indicating a weak dependence of the rate of the anodic process on the solution composition. Significant differences in the kinetics of the anodic processes indicate different mechanisms of the oxidation of nickel and its carbide. The rate and kinetic parameters of the hydrogen evolution reaction are comparable on Ni and Ni3C. In neutral and alkaline solutions, the metal and carbide samples were similar in their electrochemical characteristics. The anodically grown oxide film is thinner on nickel carbide than on nickel metal, and the oxide formed on the carbide is more readily reduced under cathodic polarization. This film is also more resistant to the pitting attack than the oxide film on nickel metal.

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Acknowledgments

The work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (no. 13-03-96099_ural_a). The authors thank S.V. Zayats (Institute of Electrophysics, UB RAS) for his assistance in compacting the samples and G.V. Sapozhnikov (PTI UB RAS) for the x-ray fluorescence analysis of the samples.

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  1. Physical-Technical Institute, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 132 Kirov Street, 426000, Izhevsk, Russia

    A. V. Syugaev, N. V. Lyalina, S. F. Lomayeva & A. N. Maratkanova

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  1. A. V. Syugaev
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  2. N. V. Lyalina
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  3. S. F. Lomayeva
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Correspondence to A. V. Syugaev.

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Syugaev, A.V., Lyalina, N.V., Lomayeva, S.F. et al. The electrochemical properties of Ni3C carbide. J Solid State Electrochem 20, 775–784 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-015-3108-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-015-3108-0

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