Associate member of the IDI Laboratory, ENSCK, Ibn Tofaïl University, Kénitra, Morocco
Otmane Kharbouch
My research covers materials protection, metal air batteries and green hydrogen in strongly acidic and alkaline media, combining electrochemistry, surface analysis and computational chemistry.
The record so far
- 53 publications
- 15 h-index
- 611 citations
- 88 peer reviews
- 2 patents
Scopus, October 2026. Patents: OMPIC. Tube height follows the logarithm of each figure.
Two ends of one scale
Most of the experiments run where metals suffer most: in pickling acid at one end of the pH scale, and in concentrated alkali at the other.
Acid end
Colours follow a universal indicator from pH 0 to 14; the hatched ends lie beyond the indicator chart. pH values for 15% HCl and 4 M NaOH are nominal, computed from concentration at 25 °C.
From corrosion to hydrogen
The three topics share one reaction. Hydrogen evolution is a side reaction in a pickling bath, a loss in an Al-air battery and the product of an electrolyser.
Corrosion inhibitors
Fe → Fe2+ + 2e−
In pickling acid, steel dissolves and its electrons reduce protons to hydrogen. Organic inhibitors adsorb on the surface and slow both reactions.
38 worksAl-air batteries
Al + 4OH− → Al(OH)4− + 3e−
In an Al-air battery the aluminium should dissolve, but its electrons belong in the external circuit, not in hydrogen at its own surface. Electrolyte additives suppress that self-corrosion.
4 worksGreen hydrogen
2H2O + 2e− → H2 + 2OH−
In an electrolyser, hydrogen is the product. Electrode materials, operating conditions and the power supply decide what each kilogram costs.
5 worksNews
- 2026–2027 Guest Editor of the Coatings special issue “Smart Surface Engineering and Coatings for Corrosion Mitigation”.
- 2026 New paper in Journal of Power Sources on how additives slow the corrosion of aluminium anodes in alkaline Al-air batteries.
- April–June 2026 Four oral talks on green hydrogen, at IC2EM-SDT (Al Hoceïma), I2CNP, ISMC2E and ECOSMARTTECH (Kénitra).
- In preparation A techno-economic study of a PEM electrolyser powered by solar and wind at Jorf Lasfar, with R. Aman-Lkhoukh, A. Lahmidi, K. Charafeddine and Y. Chhiti.
- 23 July 2025 Ph.D. defended at Ibn Tofaïl University, with the highest distinction.
Open to collaborations and new projects.
otmane.kharbouch@