Morphology, Chemical Structure, and Cathode Properties of Nanostructured Iron Coatings on Highly Developed Surfaces of Aluminum and Porous Alumina

Abstract

The results of a study of the morphology and chemical structure of iron coatings deposited on nanostructured surfaces of aluminum and porous alumina by the thermal deposition method before and after the cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction are reported. It is shown that an increase in the diameter of pores on the surface of alumina does not lead to a change in the cathode current density due to the different contribution of the boundary between the pores to the total surface area of the sample, whereas an increase in the size of hemispherical pits on the surface of aluminum plates leads to an increase in the cathode current density, which indicates an increase in the hydrogen evolution efficiency. No changes are detected in the morphology and chemical structure of the surface before or after the reaction.