FeMnCuNiTi and FeMnCuNiMo: Novel high entropy alloys for green hydrogen production

Novel high entropy alloys (HEAs) have been greatly studied due to their structural and mechanical properties. Considering that some of the alloying elements used for producing these alloys are the same used for hydrogen electrocatalysis, few recent studies have been performed for evaluating the effectiveness of these alloys in the hydrogen catalysis. In this research novel FeMnCuNiTi and FeMnCuNiMo alloys were studied. These chromium and cobalt free HEAs were produced by using a centrifugal induction furnace and characterized to highlight their microstructure in the as-cast condition and after homogenization thermal treatment carried out at 1000 °C. The tested alloys, before and after thermal treatment, were also subjected to electrochemical characterization by performing cyclic voltammetry tests to determine the conditions for attaining the best electrocatalytic performances. The results showed that the tested alloys have considerable electrocatalytic activity, comparable with that of commercial alloys containing platinum. These properties could be improved after thermal treatment.