Demonstration

Cite This: J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc

Reusing a Hard Drive Platter To Demonstrate Electrocatalysts for

Hydrogen and Oxygen Evolution Reactions
Ricardo H. Gonçalves*
Department of Chemistry, Maringa State University, Av. Colombo 5790, 87020-900 Maringa, Parana, Brazil
*
S Supporting Information

ABSTRACT: This demonstration brings the simplest multidisciplinary

approach to evaluate the impact of the electrocatalysts in the water
electrolysis half-reactions. The experiment is implemented with damaged
hard drive (HD) platters as dimensionally stable electrodes for hydrogen
and oxygen evolution reactions. The CoPtCr and Ni−P alloys deposited on
the top of the platter are electrochemically stable in alkaline electrolyte and
have an excellent catalytic activity. Techniques and principles, such as linear
sweep voltammetry, chronopotentiometry, activation overpotential, and
voltage efficiency, are demonstrated by employing these platters as
electrodes.

KEYWORDS: Electrochemistry, Electrolytic/Galvanic Cells/Potentials, Catalysis, Oxidation/Reduction, Kinetics, Materials Science,

Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary, Demonstrations, Upper-Division Undergraduate, Hands-On Learning/Manipulatives

T here is a consensus that innovation in chemistry education

should approach the current challenge of Science in the
classroom.1,2 In this context, the production of hydrogen gas
cathode: 2H 2O + 2e− → H 2 + 2OH−
E◦ = −0.828 V vs NHE (2)
from water electrolysis has received enormous attention on the
actual global energetic scenery, as a sustainable route for energy anode: 2OH− → H 2O + 1 2 O2 + 2e−
storage.3−5 The direct impact of this technology on the society
can be a stimulus for undergraduate students to learn the E◦ = 0.401 V vs NHE (3)
fundamental concepts of this field.6 In general, many
introductory chemistry textbooks bring only a thermodynamic net reaction: H 2O → H 2O + 1 2 O2
aspect to electrochemistry.7−10 The best-known example is the E◦ = Ecathode
◦ ◦
− Eanode = −1.229 V (4)
nonspontaneous reaction of water splitting, where the standard
Gibbs free energy (ΔG°) in the overall reaction corresponds to In practical conditions, this electrochemical reaction is quite
237.2 kJ/mol. The standard reversible potential (E°) to drive difficult to perform at this standard potential.13 In fact, there is
this electrochemical reaction is −1.23 V, predicted by eq 1 always an additional potential associated with this process,
known as the overpotential.12,13 This additional potential
ΔGo comes from the experimental conditions, such as mass
Eo = −
nF (1) transport, electrical resistance, and kinetics of charge transfer
on the electrodes.11 The last one is also known as activation
where n is the number of electrons transferred per mole in the overpotential and is correlated with the mechanism of the
reaction and F is the Faraday constant.7 The energy provided to electrode reactions. This overpotential (η), given by eq 5, can
water splitting is stored in the chemical bonds of the hydrogen be determined from the difference between the applied
and oxygen molecules and is released in the spontaneous potential (Eap) and the standard potential (E°).13
reverse reaction. This energy can be converted into heat or
electromotive force (emf), for example, a fuel cell operating η = Eap − E o (5)
with hydrogen and oxygen gases.11 The water electrolysis in
alkaline solution can be better described by two half-reactions, Electrocatalysis has been the main strategy to decrease the
as shown in the chemical equations below. The hydroxide ions activation overpotential. The most efficient electrocatalysts are
(OH−) are oxidized at the anode, known as the oxygen expensive metals, such as iridium, ruthenium, and plati-
evolution reaction (OER), and water molecules are reduced at
the cathode, known as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Received: July 18, 2017
The standard electrode potentials of these half-reactions are Revised: December 13, 2017
given in volts versus the normal hydrogen electrode (NHE).7,12
© XXXX American Chemical Society and
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. A DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00537
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education
Figure 1. Photograph of the two-compartment cell and HD platters as working electrodes for OER and HER.
num.14−16 Hence, heterogeneous electrocatalysts have achieved
broad technological, scientific, and also educational interest.17,18
Herein, damaged hard drive (HD) platters are employed to
demonstrate the efficient electrocatalysts for water splitting in
alkaline electrolyte. A single HD platter has a multilayer
structure composed of CoPtCr alloy in the upper layer and Ni−
P (nickel−phosphorus) alloy in the lower layer.19,20 The
CoPtCr and Ni−P alloys have excellent activities for HER and
OER, respectively.
This demonstration has a multidisciplinary approach that
correlates the computer hardware, materials chemistry, and
electrochemistry. In the computer hardware, students may be
able to disassemble an HD and understand the electronic
architecture of this device. In materials chemistry, they can
learn the microstructural and chemical analysis of the magnetic
material deposited on the top of the platter. In the
electrochemical context, fundamental topics and techniques
can be demonstrated, such as linear sweep voltammetry (LSV),
chronopotentiometry, and the influence of heterogeneous
electrocatalysts on the voltage efficiency. The advantages of
this experiment are the low cost, easy implementation and a
great visual impact of the electrochemical apparatus. Figure 1
shows a photograph of a two-compartment electrolytic cell
built with hermetic containers and HD platters as electrodes.
It is important to emphasize that the sustainable hydrogen
gas production requires an inexhaustible energy source. The
solar light energy is certainly promising for this purpose.3,14
Thus, the second part of this demonstration brings this insight
into the classroom connecting a photovoltaic (PV) panel to the
electrolytic cell.
■ MATERIALS AND APPARATUS
Adjustable dc power supply (30 V, 5 A), two multimeters, four
HD platters, a titanium foil (95 mm × 95 mm × ≈0.2 mm),
four steel rods (100 mm long × 6 mm diameter), six cable
glands (PG7), and sodium hydroxide solution (1 M) were used.
Two 925 mL hermetic containers with wide mouth and lid, Ag/
B DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00537
Demonstration
AgCl reference electrode, crocodile clips, electrical cables, a PV
panel (approximately 5 V, 2 A), and two rubber balloons were
used.
The two-compartment electrochemical cell (EC) is built up
with two 925 mL hermetic plastic containers. Three electrodes
are used in this cell, such as the working electrode (WE), the
counter electrode (CE), and the reference electrode (RE). The
electrochemical cell design, the current collector, and the
reference electrode are detailed in the Supporting Information.
An instructor or a technician should build up this electro-
chemical cell and carefully verify any gas and liquid leakage
before the classroom demonstration.
■
HAZARDS
Sodium hydroxide is nontoxic but can cause severe burns if it
comes into contact with skin and eyes. The lower flammability
limit of hydrogen gas in the air is 4%.21 Fire and ignition source
must be kept away from this experiment to avoid an accidental
explosion. Gloves, lab coat, and goggles must be worn all time.
Only dc power supply must be used.
■
DISCUSSION
In this demonstration, an HD is quickly disassembled to
remove the platters (see Supporting Information). A brief
description of this device can be mentioned to highlight the
impact of materials chemistry on the evolution of magnetic
recording media. The metallic alloys deposited on the top of
the HD platters are the primary focus of this demonstration,
and a particular discussion should be approached about them.
Thus, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was
performed to certify the alloy composition on these platters.
This EDS analysis shows an atomic composition of 51.69%
cobalt, 40.44% chromium, and 7.87% platinum. This analysis
also indicates that the Ni−P alloy has a composition of 77% Ni
and 23% P.
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education Demonstration

Figure 2. Electrochemical analyses of the HD platters: (a) LSV curves, (b) absolute current density vs overpotential, and (c) chronopotentiometry at
1.3 A for HER and OER.

Figure 3. Comparison of electrocatalytic activity for HER between the titanium disk and an HD platter. (a) LSV curves and (b) current−potential
curves for two-electrode cell configuration. HD platter (black line) and titanium disk (blue line).

The next stage of this demonstration is to carry out a series
of electrochemical analyses using a potentiostat/galvanostat.
These analyses are performed with the Ag/AgClsat reference
electrode (197 mV vs NHE) and two HD platters, one as
cathode (CoPtCr alloy) with the other as anode (Ni−P alloy),
under steady-state conditions. The electrochemical apparatus is
set up according to the electrical wiring color code (see
Supporting Information). Figure 2a shows the LSV curves of
these HD platters for HER and OER displayed as current
density versus potential (V vs NHE). The two vertical blue
dashed lines highlight the standard potential for half-reactions.
Figure 2b shows an exponential growth of the absolute value of
the current density versus overpotential for HER and OER,
which is calculated by eq 2. In this clear demonstration, the
overpotential at 10 mA cm−2 was −84 and 364 mV for HER
and OER, respectively. The chronopotentiometry analysis at
1.3 A is shown in Figure 2c to emphasize the electrochemical
stability determined by a constant potential, considering an area
of 130 cm2 for each electrode immersed in the electrolyte.
Therefore, a chronopotentiometry measurement can be
performed in a short time during a classroom demonstration.
Evidently, the electrochemical techniques are precisely
demonstrated with a potentiostat/galvanostat. Therefore,
adjustable or regulated dc power supplies are low-cost
alternatives to set up this demonstration. The activation
overpotential and the operating potential at 10 mA cm−2 can
be determined by an adjustable dc power supply. In this case,
C DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00537
the instructor gradually adjusts the current between the WE
and CE while monitoring the potential between the WE against
RE in the voltmeter display. The operating potential (Eop) is
defined as the sum of the difference between the applied
potential for each half-reaction and the voltage drop, as given
by eq 6 (see additional figures in Supporting Information). The
last term is associated with the electrical resistance of
electrolyte (Rs) and cell configuration.12 The low voltage
drop is achieved with a very close distance between the
electrodes (see Supporting Information).
Eop = −1.23 + ηHER − ηOER + iR s (6)
To better evaluate the impact of the electrocatalysts, the
voltage efficiency (ξ) is calculated by eq 7.12 The electrolytic
cell with two HD platters achieves a 61% efficiency, considering
an operating potential of −2.01 V at −10 mA cm−2, as can be
seen in Figure 3b.
Eo
ξ= × 100
Eop (7)
Another possibility to visualize the influence of electro-
catalyst is replacing the HD platter cathode with a titanium disk
with the same geometric area (see Supporting Information).
The cathodic LSV curve is obtained for the titanium disk and
compared with the HD platter LSV curve, as seen in Figure 3a.
Note that one of these HD platters is preserved as anode due to
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education Demonstration

Figure 4. Photograph of two-compartment cell coupled to the PV panel.

the electrochemical instability of the titanium disk for OER. In opportunity to expand their conceptual knowledge of
this comparative analysis, the student will see a difference in the fundamental electrochemistry.
onset of these LSV curves. In this case, the HER overpotential
was 540 mV at −10 mA cm−2 for the titanium disk. Figure 3b
shows the current−potential curves with a significant difference
■
*
ASSOCIATED CONTENT
S Supporting Information
in the operating potential for these electrodes. The voltage
efficiency is 51% for an electrolytic cell built up with a titanium The Supporting Information is available on the ACS
disk as a cathode and HD platter as an anode. This voltage Publications website at DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00537.
efficiency is a substantial aspect of studying the relevance of Detailed description for disassembly of an HD and
heterogeneous electrocatalysts for water electrolysis. fabrication of an electrochemical cell and reference
Students can be encouraged to estimate the cost of hydrogen electrode (PDF, DOCX)
gas production (cost/kg) using the power consumption Additional figures (PDF)
(operating potential × current), Faraday’s law of electrolysis,
Animated chart for HER for HD platter (AVI)
and electricity price (kWh). They can see the impact of
electrocatalyst efficiency in the cost of the hydrogen gas via Animated chart for OER for HD platter (AVI)
water electrolysis. Finally, the demonstration can be performed Animated chart for HER, comparison of HD platter and
with a PV panel to contrast with the cost of hydrogen gas Ti foil (AVI)

■
previously estimated. Figure 4 shows the photograph of this
electrolytic cell connected to a suitable PV panel. AUTHOR INFORMATION

■ CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, the CoPtCr and Ni−P alloys deposited on the
Corresponding Author
*E-mail: goncalves.ricardo.h@gmail.com.
HD platter are excellent catalysts to demonstrate many ORCID
fundamental concepts of electrochemical dynamics. The Ricardo H. Gonçalves: 0000-0002-0582-9059
activation overpotentials of the HD platters and the titanium Notes
disk as electrodes are significantly perceptible and are an
The author declares no competing financial interest.

■
important aspect to explain the influence of heterogeneous
electrocatalyst for the HER and OER. In this sense, the concept
of a reversible process and kinetics of electrode reactions can be ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
discussed using this electrochemical demonstration. The The author is grateful to Amarilis G. de Moraes, Guilherme M.
versatility of this multidisciplinary demonstration allows Pereira, and Rafael Silva for the valuable suggestions and to the
students to observe an area of research for one of the current Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq) for providing a
grand challenges in renewable energy while still providing an research fellowship.
D DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00537
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education

■
Demonstration

REFERENCES
(1) Gabel, D. Improving Teaching and Learning through Chemistry
Education Research: A Look to the Future. J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76,
548−554.
(2) Garcia-Martinez, J.; Serrano-Torregrosa, E. Chemistry Education
Best Practices, Opportunities, and Trends, 1st ed.; Wiley-VCH:
Weinheim, Germany, 2015.
(3) Abruna, H. D. Energy in the Age of Sustainability. J. Chem. Educ.
2013, 90, 1411−1413.
(4) Mallouk, T. E. Water Electrolysis: Divide and conquer. Nat.
Chem. 2013, 5, 362−363.
(5) U.S. Department of Energy. Fuel Economy: Where the Energy
Goes. https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/atv-ev.shtml (accessed Dec
2017).
(6) Shultz, M. J.; Kelly, M.; Paritsky, L.; Wagner, J. A. Theme-Based
Course: Hydrogen as the Fuel of the Future. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86,
1051−1053.
(7) Atkins, P.; Jones, L. Chemical Principles: The Quest for Insight, 5th
ed.; W.H. Freeman and Company: New York, 2010; pp 515−553.
(8) Brown, T. L.; LeMay, H. E., Jr.; Bursten, B. E.; Murphy, C. J.;
Woodward, P. M. Chemistry: The Central Science, 12th ed.; Prentice
Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2012; pp 826−860.
(9) Castellan, G. W. Physical Chemistry, 3rd ed.; Addison-Wesley:
Reading, MA, 1983; pp 371−402.
(10) Ball, D. W. Physical Chemistry, 2nd ed.; Cengage Learning:
Stamford, CT, 2014; pp 223−253.
(11) Roffia, S.; Conciallini, V.; Paradisi, C. The interconversion of
electrical and chemical energy. J. Chem. Educ. 1988, 65, 272−273.
(12) Bockris, J. O.; Conway, B. E.; Yeager, E.; White, R. E.
Electrochemical Processing; Comprehensive Treatise of Electrochemis-
try; Springer US: New York, 1981; Vol. 2. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4684-
3785-0.
(13) Bard, A. J.; Faulkner, L. R. Electrochemical Methods Fundamentals
and Applications, 2nd ed.; John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: New York, 2001.
(14) McCrory, C. C. L.; Jung, S.; Peters, J. C.; Jaramillo, T. F.
Benchmarking Heterogeneous Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen
Evolution Reaction. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 16977−16987.
(15) Boodts, J. C. F.; Trasatti, S. Hydrogen Evolution on Iridium
Oxide Cathodes. J. Appl. Electrochem. 1989, 19, 255−262.
(16) Trasatti, S. Electrocatalysis in the Anodic Evolution of Oxygen
and Chlorine. Electrochim. Acta 1984, 29, 1503−1512.
(17) Parsons, R. Electrochemical dynamics. J. Chem. Educ. 1968, 45
(6), 390−393.
(18) Laursen, A. B.; Varela, A. S.; Dionigi, F.; Fanchiu, H.; Miller, C.;
Trinhammer, O. L.; Rossmeisl, J.; Dahl, S. Electrochemical hydrogen
evolution: Sabatier’s principle and the volcano plot. J. Chem. Educ.
2012, 89, 1595−1599.
(19) Kainuma, K.; Sakaguchi, S.; Takei, S. Aluminum Substrate for
3.5-in. 1 TB Magnetic Recording Media. Fuji Electric Review. 2011, 57
(2), 62−66.
(20) Kataoka, H.; Komiyama, K.; Takahashi, N. New High Density
Recording Technology: High Ku Magnetic Materials. Fuji Electric
Review 2011, 57 (2), 37−41.
(21) Le, H.; Liu, Y.; Mannan, M. S. Lower Flammability Limits of
Hydrogen and Light Hydrocarbons at Subatmospheric Pressures. Ind.
Eng. Chem. Res. 2013, 52, 1372−1378.

E DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00537
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX