The Crystalline Entity

They are better than expected and have a crazy surface area. Solution takes a good portion more of mA per V which looks all in all promising. New setup for several layers of diaphragm and salt bridge have also worked out as planned and expelled the chlorine gas into the vent.^

The surface of the mesh I could extract from the battery cells looks way to blank. Seems I didn't get to cheap out on this one. There has to be a distinct color on them. Last time I bought for double the price and had a sufficiently treated surface. How do I get the powdered hydrate to work here?

Scheint als wären die Notaufnahmen ständig und von allem überlastet.

Still don't trust that layer of oxide tbh. Sourced some Ni mesh instead. 4 activated electrodes come for 4,99€. Stuff is dirt cheap but vastly superior to my DIY cathode. That kind of electrode anyways, when I go for palladium plated nickel foam things look different. No more activation necessary.

Uh, a fat black layer at least where the flame reached enough temperature. Who said violence ain't a solution. That does the trick apparently. Need to get my safety googles before I quench it in my sodium solution.

The electrode choose violence and it shall receive. There are more ways to kick the shit out of that surface than blasting electrons onto it. Lets try fire and see where this goes.

One hour in and no oxide layer is building. I fear I'll need to recover the NiOOH from NiMH battery cells. Last time I tried that stunt my trash can caught on fire. Fun times but the mesh material inside of the battery cells is the superior material for my electro reduction. The only viable route.

Grok refuses to give me an adequate route to Raney-Nickel and even if, I certainly wouldn't trust that clanker on any advice regarding self igniting materials. I'll get there eventually but using LLMs for your chemistry homework is...interesting.

300mA in constantly reversing polarity for about 40 cycles should put a layer of Ni(OH)² onto my electrode. Converting to NiOOH on the long run. That should be storing hydrogen.

But lets check out the electrodes first. Nickel is quite good at resisting corrosion so i might need some force.

Middle of the night. Decided to make NiOOH. Electrodes slept in hydrochloric acid for 24h. All remaining oxides should be gone now. Concentrated Sodium hydroxide solution will make for an electrolyte in my reaction. Fester had a platinum anode and lead kathode. We'll go for graphite vs nickel now.