Grain boundary engineering for improved performance: A case study with Ni-superalloy on the hydrogen evolution reaction
Bhuyan P, Sanyal S, Fortunato GV, Mandal S, Mingers AM, Ledendecker M (2025)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2025
Journal
Book Volume: 260
Article Number: 115262
DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2025.115262
Abstract
The present study investigates the impact of grain boundary engineering (GBE), a microstructural design strategy commonly employed in metallurgy to mitigate intergranular degradation, on the electrocatalytic performance of Ni-based alloys during the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The GBE-treated specimen exhibits higher HER activity than the as-received (AR) condition, primarily due to its increased fractions of grain boundaries (GBs) and total number of triple junctions (TJs), which serve as additional catalytic sites and facilitate charge transfer. Operando dissolution measurements using a scanning flow cell (SFC) in conjunction with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) reveal that, despite the enhanced activity, GBE-treated specimens show reduced dissolution compared to the AR condition. This improvement is attributed to a higher proportion of low-Σ coincidence site lattice (CSL) boundaries (Σ3n (n ≤ 3); 79 ± 4 % in GBE vs. 55 ± 2 % in AR). Due to their higher periodicity, these boundaries are more resistant to dissolution, resulting in improved stability. These findings demonstrate that tailoring grain boundary character through GBE can result in a favorable balance between activity and stability, offering a promising approach to microstructural optimization in electrocatalysis.
Involved external institutions
Max-Planck-Institut für Nachhaltige Materialien / Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials (MPIE)
Germany (DE)
Technische Universität München (TUM)
Germany (DE)
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
India (IN)
Germany (DE)
Technische Universität München (TUM)
Germany (DE)
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
India (IN)
How to cite
APA:
Bhuyan, P., Sanyal, S., Fortunato, G.V., Mandal, S., Mingers, A.M., & Ledendecker, M. (2025). Grain boundary engineering for improved performance: A case study with Ni-superalloy on the hydrogen evolution reaction. Materials & Design, 260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2025.115262
MLA:
Bhuyan, P., et al. "Grain boundary engineering for improved performance: A case study with Ni-superalloy on the hydrogen evolution reaction." Materials & Design 260 (2025).
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