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Srivastava R, Chaudhary H, Kumar A, de Souza FM, Mishra SR, Perez F, Gupta RK. Optimum iron-pyrophosphate electronic coupling to improve electrochemical water splitting and charge storage. DISCOVER NANO 2023; 18:148. [PMID: 38047966 PMCID: PMC10695914 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-023-03937-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Tuning the electronic properties of transition metals using pyrophosphate (P2O7) ligand moieties can be a promising approach to improving the electrochemical performance of water electrolyzers and supercapacitors, although such a material's configuration is rarely exposed. Herein, we grow NiP2O7, CoP2O7, and FeP2O7 nanoparticles on conductive Ni-foam using a hydrothermal procedure. The results indicated that, among all the prepared samples, FeP2O7 exhibited outstanding oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction with the least overpotential of 220 and 241 mV to draw a current density of 10 mA/cm2. Theoretical studies indicate that the optimal electronic coupling of the Fe site with pyrophosphate enhances the overall electronic properties of FeP2O7, thereby enhancing its electrochemical performance in water splitting. Further investigation of these materials found that NiP2O7 had the highest specific capacitance and remarkable cycle stability due to its high crystallinity as compared to FeP2O7, having a higher percentage composition of Ni on the Ni-foam, which allows more Ni to convert into its oxidation states and come back to its original oxidation state during supercapacitor testing. This work shows how to use pyrophosphate moieties to fabricate non-noble metal-based electrode materials to achieve good performance in electrocatalytic splitting water and supercapacitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rishabh Srivastava
- Department of Physics, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS, 66762, USA
- National Institute for Materials Advancement, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS, 66762, USA
| | - Himanshu Chaudhary
- National Institute for Materials Advancement, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS, 66762, USA
| | - Anuj Kumar
- Nano-Technology Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, 281406, India.
| | - Felipe M de Souza
- National Institute for Materials Advancement, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS, 66762, USA
| | - Sanjay R Mishra
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA
| | - Felio Perez
- Integrated Microscopy Center, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA
| | - Ram K Gupta
- National Institute for Materials Advancement, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS, 66762, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS, 66762, USA.
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Chen L, Jiang LW, Wang JJ. Investigating the Structural Evolution and Catalytic Activity of c-Co/Co 3Mo Electrocatalysts for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction. Molecules 2023; 28:6986. [PMID: 37836829 PMCID: PMC10574280 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28196986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Transition metal alloys have emerged as promising electrocatalysts due to their ability to modulate key parameters, such as d-band electron filling, Fermi level energy, and interatomic spacing, thereby influencing their affinity towards reaction intermediates. However, the structural stability of alloy electrocatalysts during the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) remains a subject of debate. In this study, we systematically investigated the structural evolution and catalytic activity of the c-Co/Co3Mo electrocatalyst under alkaline HER conditions. Our findings reveal that the Co3Mo alloy and H0.9MoO3 exhibit instability during alkaline HER, leading to the breakdown of the crystal structure. As a result, the cubic phase c-Co undergoes a conversion to the hexagonal phase h-Co, which exhibits strong catalytic activity. Additionally, we identified hexagonal phase Co(OH)2 as an intermediate product of this conversion process. Furthermore, we explored the readsorption and surface coordination of the Mo element, which contribute to the enhanced catalytic activity of the c-Co/Co3Mo catalyst in alkaline HER. This work provides valuable insights into the dynamic behavior of alloy-based electrocatalysts, shedding light on their structural stability and catalytic activity during electrochemical reduction processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China; (L.C.); (L.-W.J.)
| | - Li-Wen Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China; (L.C.); (L.-W.J.)
| | - Jian-Jun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China; (L.C.); (L.-W.J.)
- Shenzhen Research Institute, Shandong University, Shenzhen 518057, China
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Shen H, Wei T, Ding J, Liu X. Copper Phosphide Nanowires as High-Performance Catalysts for Urea-Assisted Hydrogen Evolution in Alkaline Medium. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:ma16114169. [PMID: 37297303 DOI: 10.3390/ma16114169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Water electrolysis represented a promising avenue for the large-scale production of high-purity hydrogen. However, the high overpotential and sluggish reaction rates associated with the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) posed significant obstacles to efficient water splitting. To tackle these challenges, the urea oxidation reaction (UOR) emerged as a more favorable thermodynamic alternative to OER, offering both the energy-efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the potential for the treating of urea-rich wastewater. In this work, a two-step methodology comprising nanowire growth and phosphating treatment was employed to fabricate Cu3P nanowires on Cu foam (Cu3P-NW/CF) catalysts. These novel catalytic architectures exhibited notable efficiencies in facilitating both the UOR and HER in alkaline solutions. Specifically, within urea-containing electrolytes, the UOR manifested desirable operational potentials of 1.43 V and 1.65 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (vs. RHE) to reach the current densities of 10 and 100 mA cm-2, respectively. Concurrently, the catalyst displayed a meager overpotential of 60 mV for the HER at a current density of 10 mA cm-2. Remarkably, the two-electrode urea electrolysis system, exploiting the designed catalyst as both the cathode and anode, demonstrated an outstanding performance, attaining a low cell voltage of 1.79 V to achieve a current density of 100 mA cm-2. Importantly, this voltage is preferable to the conventional water electrolysis threshold in the absence of urea molecules. Moreover, our study shed light on the potential of innovative Cu-based materials for the scalable fabrication of electrocatalysts, energy-efficient hydrogen generation, and the treatment of urea-rich wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Shen
- School of Bioengineering, Hefei Technology College, Hefei 230012, China
| | - Tianran Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-Cycle Safety for Composite Structures, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Junyang Ding
- Institute for New Energy Materials & Low-Carbon Technologies, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Xijun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-Cycle Safety for Composite Structures, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
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