Fabrication and characterization of Nickel-coated 3D printed electrodes for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction in acidic media at various temperatures

Additive manufacturing (AM), often referred to as 3D printing, is a new technology that allows objects to be created by adding layer by layer, as opposed to traditional manufacturing processes. Therefore, the rapid and cost-effective AM method can facilitate research and development efforts in the field of electrochemistry. In this study, oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrodes are fabricated by a 3D printing technique utilizing carbonbased (PP filament) and graphene-based PLA filaments (BM filament). Electrodes are then coated with Ni by electrochemical deposition method at different temperatures. Electrochemical analysis of Ni coated PP and BM electrodes is made in acidic environments (0.5 M H2SO4) using different characterization techniques. The results indicate that PP/Ni-50 and BM/Ni-50 electrodes have the highest catalytic activity for OER in acidic media. PP/ Ni-50 and BM/Ni-50 electrodes exhibited a superior double layer (Cdl) value than other Ni coated 3D printed electrode samples, and their active surface areas are calculated as 0.201 cm2 and 0.286 cm2, respectively. A larger active surface area leads to an increase in the number of active sites, causing the OER process to be more effective. Consequently, increasing the active surface area of electrode samples is crucial for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) process, especially in the context of renewable energy and sustainable technology applications.