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.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Toth LE (1971) Transition metal carbides and nitrides; refractory materials. Academic, New York
Oyama ST (ed) (1996) The chemistry of transition metal carbides and nitrides. Blackie Academic and Professional, Glasgow
Zhou W, Zheng K, He L, Wang R, Guo L, Chen C, Han X, Zhang Z (2008) Ni/Ni3C core-shell nanochains and its magnetic properties: one-step synthesis at low temperature. Nano Lett 8:1147–1152
Yue L, Sabiryanov R, Kirkpatrick EM, Leslie-Pelecky DL (2000) Magnetic properties of disordered Ni3C. Phys Rev B 62:8969–8975
Sedláčková K, Lobotka P, Vávra I, Radnóczi G (2005) Structural, electrical, and magnetic properties of carbon–nickel composite thin films. Carbon 43:2192–2198
Sedláčková K, Grasin RO, Ujvári T, Bertóti I, Radnóczi G (2009) Carbon-metal (Ni or Ti) nanocomposite thin films for functional applications. Solid State Sci 11:1815–1818
Brady CDA, Rees EJ, Burstein GT, Barber ZH (2008) Passivation and electrocatalytic behavior of an amorphous nickel–carbon film in sulfuric acid. J Electrochem Soc 155:B461–B466
Fadil NA, Saravanan G, Ramesh GV, Matsumoto F, Yoshikawa H, Ueda S, Tanabe T, Hara T, Ishihara S, Murakami H, Ariga K, Abe H (2014) Synthesis and electrocatalytic performance of atomically ordered nickel carbide (Ni3C) nanoparticles. Chem Commun 50:6451–6453
Ni L, Kuroda K, Zhou LP, Ohta K, Matsuishi K, Nakamura J (2009) Decomposition of metal carbides as an elementary step of carbon nanotube synthesis. Carbon 47:3054–3062
Esconjauregui S, Whelan CM, Maex K (2009) The reasons why metals catalyze the nucleation and growth of carbon nanotubes and other carbon nanomorphologies. Carbon 47:659–669
Yu B, Wang S, Zhang Q, He Y, Huang H, Zou J (2014) Ni3C-assisted growth of carbon nanofibres 300 °C by thermal CVD. Nanotechnology 25:325602
Wang Z, Cao XM, Zhu J, Hu P (2014) Activity and coke formation of nickel and nickel carbide in dry reforming: a deactivation scheme from density functional theory. J Catal 311:469–480
Zhang C, Yue H, Huang Z, Li S, Wu G, Ma X, Gong J (2013) Hydrogen production via steam reforming of ethanol on phyllosilicate-derived Ni/SiO2: enhanced metal-support interaction and catalytic stability. ACS Sustainable Chem Eng 1:161–173
Zefirov AP (ed) (1965) Termodinamicheskie svoistva neorganicheskikh vesh’estv. Spravochnik (Thermodynamic properties of inorganic compounds. Handbook) Atomizdat, Moscow
Leng Y, Xie L, Liao F, Zheng J, Li X (2008) Kinetic and thermodynamics studies on the decompositions of Ni3C in different atmospheres. Thermochim Acta 473:14–18
Borchers C, Ricardo P, Michaelsen C (2000) Interfacial wetting and percolation threshold in ultrathin Ni/C multilayer films. Philos Mag A 80:1669–1679
Krawietz R, Wehner B, Sebald T, Mai H, Dietsch R (1994) Investigation of thermal aging of Ni/C multilayers by X-ray methods. Mater Sci Forum 166–169:1247–1253
Leslie-Pelecky DL, Zhang XQ, Kim SH, Bonder M, Rieke RD (1998) Structural properties of chemically synthesized nanostructured Ni and Ni:Ni3C nanocomposites. Chem Mater 10:164–171
Ryabtsev SI, Bashev VF, Belkin AI, Ryabtsev AS (2006) Structure and properties of ion-plasma deposited Ni-C films in a metastable state. Phys Met Metallogr 102:305–308
Tanaka T, Ishihara KN, Shingu PH (1992) Formation of metastable phases of Ni-C and Co-C systems by mechanical alloying. Metall Mater Trans A 23A:2431–2435
Nishitani SR, Ishihara KN, Suzuki RO, Shingu PH (1985) Metastable solid solubility limit of carbon in the Ni–C system. J Mater Sci Lett 4:872–875
Nagakura S (1958) Study of metallic carbides by electron diffraction. Part II crystal structure analysis of nickel carbide. J Phys Soc Jpn 13:1005–1014
Tokumitsu K (1997) Synthesis of metastable Fe3C, Co3C and Ni3C by mechanical alloying method. Mater Sci Forum 235–238:127–132
Goldschmidt HJ (1967) Interstitial alloys. Plenum, New York; Butterworths, London
Ivanov VV, Zajats SV, Medvedev AI, Shtol’ts AK, Pereturina IA (2004) Formation of metal matrix composite by magnetic pulsed compaction of partially oxidized Al nanopowder. J Mater Sci 39:5231–5234
Portnoi VK, Leonov AV, Mudretsova SN, Fedotov SA (2010) Formation of nickel carbide in the course of deformation treatment of Ni-C mixtures. Phys Met Metallogr 109:153–161
Shelekhov EV, Sviridova TA (2000) Programs for x-ray analysis of polycrystals. Met Sci Heat Treat 42:309–313
Powder Diffraction File, Alphabetical Index, Inorganic Phases (1985) International Center for Diffraction Data, Pennsylvania
Nikolskiy BP (ed) (1965) Spravochnik khimika (Chemist Handbook). Khimiya, Leningrad
Lomayeva SF, Yelsukov EP, Konygin GN, Dorofeev GA, Povstugar VI, Mikhailova SS, Zagainov AV, Maratkanova AN (2000) The influence of a surfactant on the characteristics of the iron powders obtained by mechanical milling in organic media. Colloids Surf A 162:279–284
Syugaev AV, Lomaeva SF, Maratkanova AN, Surnin DV, Reshetnikov SM (2009) Electrochemical properties of iron silicocarbide and cementite in acidic and neutral environments. Prot Met Phys Chem Surf 45:81–88
Syugaev AV, Lyalina NV, Lomayeva SF, Maratkanova AN (2015) Electrochemical behavior of Co3C carbide. J Solid State Electrochem 19:2933–2941
Weidman MC, Esposito DV, Hsu IJ, Chen JG (2010) Electrochemical stability of tungsten and tungsten monocarbide (WC) over wide pH and potential ranges. J Electrochem Soc 157:F179–F188
Cowling RD, Hintermann HE (1970) The corrosion of titanium carbide. J Electrochem Soc 117:1447–1449
Tarasevich MR (1984) Electrokhimia uglerodnikh materialov (Electrochemistry of carbon materials). Nauka, Moscow
Barbosa MR, Real SG, Vilche JR, Arvía AJ (1988) Comparative potentiodynamic study of nickel in still and stirred sulfuric acid-potassium sulfate solutions in the 0.4–5.7 pH range. J Electrochem Soc 35:1077–1085
Juodkazis K, Juodkazytė J, Vilkauskaitė R, Jasulaitienė V (2008) Nickel surface anodic oxidation and electrocatalysis of oxygen evolution. J Solid State Electrochem 12:1469–1479
Podobaev AN, Reformatskaya II (2006) Initial stages of nickel passivation and dissolution in acidic sulfate solutions. Prot Met 42:73–75
Scherer J, Ocko BM, Magnussen OM (2003) Structure, dissolution, and passivation of Ni(111) electrodes in sulfuric acid solution: an in situ STM, x-ray scattering, and electrochemical study. Electrochim Acta 48:1169–1191
Saraby-Reintjes A (1985) Theory of competitive adsorption and its application to the anodic dissolution of nickel and iron-group metals—I. Active dissolution in acid solution under steady state conditions. Electrochim Acta 30:387–401
Florianovich GM, Sokolova LA, Kolotyrkin YM (1967) On the mechanism of the anodic dissolution of iron in acid solutions. Electrochim Acta 12:879–887
Shein IR, Medvedeva NI, Ivanovskii AL (2006) Electronic and structural properties of cementite-type M3X (M = Fe, Co, Ni; X = C or B) by first principles calculations. Phys B 371:126–132
Gassa LM, Vilche JR, Arvía AJ (1983) A potentiodynamic study of anodic film formation on nickel in borate solutions. J Appl Electrochem 13:135–145
De Souza LMM, Kong FP, McLarnon FR, Muller RH (1997) Spectroscopic ellipsometry of nickel oxidation in alkaline solution. Electrochim Acta 42:1253–1267
Kaesche H (2003) Corrosion of metals: physicochemical principles and current problems. Springer, Berlin
Syugaev AV, Lyalina NV, Lomaeva SF, Reshetnikov SM (2012) Cathodic evolution of hydrogen on carbides of iron-family metals. Prot Met Phys Chem Surf 48:515–519
Biesinger MC, Payne BP, Grosvenor AP, Lau LWM, Gerson AR, Smart RSC (2011) Resolving surface chemical states in XPS analysis of first row transition metals, oxides and hydroxides: Cr, Mn, Fe, Co and Ni. Appl Surf Sci 257:2717–2730
Payne BP, Biesinger MC, McIntyre NS (2009) The study of polycrystalline nickel metal oxidation by water vapour. J Electron Spectrosc Relat Phenom 175:55–65
Furlan A, Lu J, Hultman L, Jansson U, Magnuson M (2014) Crystallization characteristic and chemical properties of nickel carbide thin film nanocomposites. J Phys Condens Matter 26:415501
Lascovich JC, Giorgi R, Scaglone S (1991) Evolution of the sp2/sp3 ratio in amorphous carbon structure by XPS and XAES. Appl Surf Sci 47:17–21
Beamson G, Briggs D (1992) High resolution XPS of organic polymers. The Scienta ESCA300 Database. Wiley, New York
Schlögl R, Boehm HP (1983) Influence of crystalline perfection and surface species on the x-ray photoelectron spectra of natural and synthetic graphites. Carbon 21:345–358
Chu PK, Li L (2006) Characterization of amorphous and nanocrystalline carbon films. Mater Chem Phys 96:253–277
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.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
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
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-015-3108-0