The search for new electrode materials which are able to intensify the currently used process for the electrolytic production of pure hydrogen is an important scientific and technical problem. Promising materials for making electrodes or for the modification of currently used nickel cathodes are alloys of iron subgroup metals with molybdenum or tungsten, which show a higher catalytic activity in the hydrogen reduction reaction compared with pure nickel or cobalt and have a high corrosion resistance in aggressive media. The present chapter demonstrates that the catalytic, magnetic, and corrosive properties of coatings depend not only on the chemical composition of the alloy but also on its phase composition and morphology so that even coatings having the same chemical composition, but obtained under different conditions, possess different properties. Thus, by changing the electrolyte composition and the electrolysis parameters, one can obtain coatings with optimal set of functional properties and the distribution of metals on the surface which ensure hydrogen spillover and, hence, a high rate of the desired reaction.
Part of the book: Electrocatalysts for Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Evolution