Nickel Foam Electrodes-A Versatile, Powerful, and Readily Available Tool in Electro-Organic Synthesis

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Organic Synthesis
• Materials Science

Background:

• Nickel foam electrodes have been utilized in electrosynthesis for over 50 years.
• They are cost-effective, easy to handle, and widely employed due to their availability.
• Nickel foam serves as an anode, forming a conductive NiOOH layer for selective oxidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey the recent developments and breakthroughs of nickel foam electrodes in electro-organic synthesis.
• To highlight their evolution as a highly active cathode material for organic compound reduction.
• To emphasize their unique combination of properties for electrochemical applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on nickel foam electrodes in electrosynthesis.
• Analysis of their application as both anode and cathode materials.
• Survey of electro-organic transformations enabled by nickel foam.

Main Results:

• Nickel foam electrodes are effective in both alkaline and acidic media, under protic and aprotic conditions.
• They exhibit high electrical conductivity, a large surface area, and specific electrocatalytic features.
• Significant advancements have been made in their use for electro-organic synthesis, particularly in the last decade.

Conclusions:

• Nickel foam electrodes offer a unique and unmatched combination of affordability, conductivity, surface area, and catalytic properties.
• Their versatility as both anode and cathode materials makes them highly valuable in electro-organic synthesis.
• Recent breakthroughs underscore their growing importance and potential in the field.