The oxygen evolution reaction on cobalt: Part II. Transient measurements

Open-circuit overpotential decays on an aged cobalt electrode in the oxygen evolution range in 6 M KOH show different slopes for two overpotential regions. These slopes are lower than the Tafel slope in the same region: Tafel slopes of ～100 and ～40 mV/dec, at high and low overpotentials, respectively. compared to decay slopes of ～?60 and ～?20 to ?30 mV/dec. For a fresh cobalt electrode a decay slope of ～?40 mV/dec is found at high overpotentials. From impedance measurements during a decay it is concluded that the electrode capacitance cannot account for the decay curves obsered. By means of steady-state potentiostatic impedance measurements (with stabilization times > 24 h) it is found that the differential Tafel slope remains constant at ～40–50 mV/dec and differs considerably from the Tafel slope at high overpotentials, ～100 mV/dec. Galvanostatic pulse experiments give evidence of the presence of CoO₂ in the oxide layer.Two models which may explain the observed experimental results are analysed. Both include a potential-dependent (extra) process which is fixed by the amount of CoO₂ at the surface. In one model, CoO₂ is responsible for partial surface blockage (parallel process); in the other model, CoO₂ controls the conductivity of the top layer of the oxide layer on the electrode.     

Hierarchical Architectures Based on Ru Nanoparticles/Oxygen-Rich-Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution

Highly active and durable electrocatalysts are essential for producing hydrogen fuel through the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, a uniform deposition of Ru nanoparticles strongly interacting with oxygen-rich carbon nanotube architectures (Ru-OCNT) through ozonation and hydrothermal approaches has been designed. The hierarchical structure of Ru-OCNT is made by self-assembly of oxygen functionalities of OCNT. Ru nanoparticles interact strongly with OCNT at the Ru/OCNT interface to give excellent catalytic activity and stability of the Ru-OCNT, as further confirmed by density functional theory. Owing to the hierarchical structure and adjusted surface chemistry, Ru-OCNT has an overpotential of 34 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² with a Tafel slope of 27.8 mV dec⁻¹ in 1 M KOH, and an overpotential of 55 mV with Tafel slope of 33 mV dec⁻¹ in 0.5 M H₂SO₄. The smaller Tafel slope of Ru-OCNT than Ru-CNT and commercial Pt/C in both alkaline and acidic electrolytes indicates high catalytic activity and fast charge transfer kinetics. The as-proposed chemistry provides the rational design of hierarchically structured CNT/nanoparticle electrocatalysts for HER to produce hydrogen fuel.     

Highly efficient Fe_xNi_(1-x)O_y/CP electrode prepared via simple soaking and heating treatments for electrocatalytic water oxidation

The oxygen evolution reaction(OER) is a key step in the overall water splitting process. Numerous electrocatalysts have been developed to lower the overpotential and accelerate the kinetics of the OER. In this work, a simple soaking and heating treatment was used to form a stable and efficient Fe_xNi_(1-x)O_y/CP electrode. The electrode combined nickel and iron oxides on a commercial carbon paper were used for electrocatalytic water oxidation. The best Fe_xNi_(1-x)O_y/CP electrode(Ni/Fe = 15/1) displayed a current density of 10 mA/cm~2 at a low overpotential of 290 mV in 0.1 M KOH solution with a Tafel slope of 52 mV/dec.A higher current density of ~50 mA/cm~2 at the same overpotential and a lower Tafel slope of 43 mV/dec was obtained for this electrode in 1.0 M KOH solution. Excellent durability of the Fe_xNi_(1-x)O_y/CP electrode in 1.0 M KOH solution was confirmed under a high current density of 136 mA/cm~2 at an overpotential of 340 mV.     

脊椎状NiCo2O4纳米棒的制备及其析氧和氧还原性能研究

以水热法并进一步焙烧合成脊椎状NiCo₂O₄纳米棒,通过透射电子显微镜（TEM）、X射线衍射仪（XRD）、X射线光电子能谱仪（XPS）和热重分析仪（TG）等来表征其结构形态及热稳定性.采用线性扫描法（LSV）、循环伏安（CV）研究所制备催化剂的在玻碳和旋转圆盘电极上的电催化活性：在0.1 mol·L^-1 KOH溶液中的电催化析氧反应（OER）和电催化氧还原反应（ORR）.研究结果表明,所制备的脊椎状NiCo₂O₄纳米棒有大量的不饱和态,200℃焙烧制备的脊椎状NiCo₂O₄纳米棒析氧过电位最小可达309 mV,Tafel斜率145.6 mV/dec,其氧还原极限电流密度在1600 rmp可达到5.095 mA·cm^-2,电子转移数在3.2~3.8之间,接近四电子转移机理,其优良电化学性能可能是由于暴露了更多的边缘缺陷的缘故.     

Temperature Effect on Hydrogen Evolution Reaction at Au Electrode

The temperature dependence of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at a quasi-single crys-talline gold electrode in both 0.1 mol/L HClO₄ and 0.1 mol/L KOH solutions was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. HER current displays a clear increase with reaction overpotential (η) and temperature from 278～333 K. In 0.1 mol/L HClO₄ the Tafel slopes are found to increases slightly with temperature from 118 mV/dec to 146 mV/dec, while in 0.1 mol/L KOH it is ca. 153±15 mV/dec without clear temperature-dependent trend. The apparent activation energy (Ea) for HER at equilibrium potential is ca. 48 and 34 kJ/mol in 0.1 mol/L HClO₄ and 0.1 mol/L KOH, respectively. In acid solution, Ea decreases with increase in η, from Ea=37 kJ/mol (η=0.2 V) to 30 kJ/mol (η=0.35 V). In contrast, in 0.1 mol/L KOH, Ea does not show obvious change with η. The pre-exponential factor (A) in 0.1 mol/L HClO₄ is ca. 1 order higher than that in 0.1 mol/L KOH. Toward more negative potential, in 0.1 mol/L HClO₄ A changes little with potential, while in 0.1 mol/L KOH it displays a monotonic increase with η. The change trends of the potential-dependent kinetic parameters for HER at Au electrode in 0.1 mol/L HClO₄ and that in 0.1 mol/L KOH are discussed.     

Oxygen evolution on La0.5Ba0.5CoO3: Transient measurements

The recovery behavior of an aged La_0.5Ba_0.5CoO₃ electrode after interrupting a cathodic discharge current (forced decay, all starting from a high prepolarized state) at a still positive overpotential of 150 mV is discussed. It was found that the potential rises again after interrupting the cathodic current. This rise in potential decreases with decreasing cathodic currents when the electrodes are stabilized at the same starting overpotential before applying the cathodic current. The rise in potential also decreases with decreasing starting overpotential for the same cathodic discharge current. From these measurements it was concluded that higher oxides are present to a certain depth in the oxide layer at high positive overpotentials.Open-circuit decay measurements with different starting overpotentials were performed, all showing logarithmic slopes of ～ 50 mV/dec. The decay rates increased for lower starying overpotentials. Impedances were measured during a decay, from which effective capacitances were calculated. For a given overpotential, the capacitances during a decay were practically constant in the overpotential range from 220 to 150 mV for a given staring overpontential. But for higher starting overpotentials the capacitances were found to be higher. These effects are explained by a change in effective surface area for different starting overpotentials caused by the above-mentioned higher oxides blocking the surface.     

Fe‐Doped Ni3C Nanodots in N‐Doped Carbon Nanosheets for Efficient Hydrogen‐Evolution and Oxygen‐Evolution Electrocatalysis

Uniform Ni₃C nanodots dispersed in ultrathin N‐doped carbon nanosheets were successfully prepared by carburization of the two dimensional (2D) nickel cyanide coordination polymer precursors. The Ni₃C based nanosheets have lateral length of about 200 nm and thickness of 10 nm. When doped with Fe, the Ni₃C based nanosheets exhibited outstanding electrocatalytic properties for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). For example, 2 at % Fe (atomic percent) doped Ni₃C nanosheets depict a low overpotential (292 mV) and a small Tafel slope (41.3 mV dec⁻¹) for HER in KOH solution. An outstanding OER catalytic property is also achieved with a low overpotential of 275 mV and a small Tafel slope of 62 mV dec⁻¹ in KOH solution. Such nanodot‐incorporated 2D hybrid structures can serve as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.     

Annealing temperature dependent catalytic water oxidation activity of iron oxyhydroxide thin films

Nanostructured iron oxyhydroxide(Fe OOH) thin films have been synthesized using an electrodeposition method on a nickel foam(NF) substrate and effect of air annealing temperature on the catalytic performance is studied. The as-deposited and annealed thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM) and linear sweep voltammetry(LSV) to determine their structural, morphological, compositional and electrochemical properties, respectively. The as-deposited nanostructured amorphous Fe OOH thin film is converted into a polycrystalline Fe_2O_3 with hematite crystal structure at a high temperature. The Fe OOH thin film acts as an efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction(OER) in an alkaline 1 M KOH electrolyte. The film annealed at 200 °C shows high catalytic activity with an onset overpotential of 240 m V with a smaller Tafel slope of 48 m V/dec. Additionally, it needs an overpotential of 290 mV to the drive the current density of 10 m A/cm~2 and shows good stability in the 1 M KOH electrolyte solution.     

Nickel-iron borate coated nickel-iron boride hybrid for highly stable and active oxygen evolution electrocatalysis

The development of efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts toward anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for the commercial application of electrochemical water splitting. As the most promising electrocatalysts, the OER performances of nickel-iron-based materials can be further improved by introducing metalloid elements to modify their electron structures. Herein, we developed an efficient hybrid electrocatalyst with nickel-iron boride (NiFeB) as core and amorphous nickel-iron borate (NiFeB_i) as shell (NiFeB@NiFeB_i) via a simple aqueous reduction. The obtained NiFeB@NiFeB_i exhibits a small overpotential of 237 mV at 10 mA/cm² and Tafel slope of 57.65 mV/dec in 1.0 mol/L KOH, outperforming most of the documented precious-metal-free based electrocatalysts. Benefiting from the in situ formed amorphous NiFeBi layer, it shows excellent stability toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). These findings might provide a new way to design advanced precious-metal-free electrocatalysts for OER and the application of electrochemical water splitting.     

不同pH下多晶Au电极上的氧还原反应

利用旋转圆盘电极体系系统研究了不同pH下氧气在多晶Au电极上的还原反应,并计算了不同pH条件及不同超电势范围内的Tafel斜率.研究发现,同在酸性（但是pH不同）或同在碱性（但是pH不同）的介质中氧还原起始电位以及纯粹动力学控制区（电流较小的区域）的氧还原电流几乎不随溶液的pH值而变化.酸性条件下以及碱性条件的高超电势范围内,Tafel斜率接近120mV/dec;而碱性条件的低超电势范围内,Tafel斜率接近60mV/dec.金电极上ORR的活化超电势随着pH值的增加而降低约79mV/pH.初步讨论了pH对氧还原机理和动力学的影响及其内在原因.     

Highly exposed NiFeOx nanoclusters supported on boron doped carbon nanotubes for electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

The development of efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for the overall water splitting. Herein, we prepared a highly exposed NiFeO_x ultra-small nanoclusters supported on boron-doped carbon nonotubes catalyst, which achieves a 10 mA/cm² anodic current density at a low overpotential of 213 mV and the Tafel slope of 52 mV/dec in 1.0 mol/L KOH, superior to the pristine NiFeO_x-CNTs and other state-of-the-art OER catalysts in alkaline media. A combination study (XPS, sXAS and XAFS) verifies that the local atomic structure of Ni and Fe atoms in the nanoclusters are similar to NiO and Fe₂O₃, respectively, and the B atoms which are doped into the crystal lattice of CNTs leads to the optimization of Ni 3d e_g orbitals. Furthermore, in-situ X-ray absorption spectroscopies reveal that the high valence state of Ni atoms are served as the real active sites. This work highlights that the precise control of highly exposed multicomponent nanocluster catalysts paves a new way for designing highly efficient catalysts at the atomic scale.     

Co3O4/CeO2异质结制备及其在碱性介质中电催化析氧性能

通过简易的两步法制备一系列Co_3O_4/CeO_2异质结。其结构、形貌和微结构分别通过X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)和高分辨透射电镜(HRTEM)表征。在碱性介质中,其电催化析氧性能随着Co_3O_4/CeO_2质量比的变化而变化,并有一最佳值。当Co_3O_4和CeO_2质量比为58.5%时,在1.0 mol·L~(-1)KOH溶液中,10 mA·cm~(-2)的电流密度下,过电位为347 mV,Tafel斜率为72.7mV·dec~(-1),并且稳定性良好。此时的过电位低于Co_3O_4(440 mV)、商用RuO_2(359 mV)和CeO_2(570 mV)。X射线光电子能谱(XPS)显示Co_3O_4的部分电子向CeO_2转移。这导致复合材料的导电性提高,CeO_2表面的氧空位浓度和活性氧物种增加。     

MoSe2/Co-MOF/NF复合材料的制备及电催化产氧性能

设计高效的催化剂对于电解水制氢至关重要。基于过渡金属硒化物(TMSe)的高催化活性和金属有机骨架(MOFs)的灵活结构，我们提出了一种将MOFs与TMSe复合的策略，在导电基底泡沫镍(NF)上生长的复合材料不仅继承了2种单体的优点，还有效地改善了MOFs导电性差、TMSe易团聚的缺点。MoSe₂/Co-MOF/NF在碱性溶液中展示出优异的电催化产氧活性，在电流密度为10 mA·cm^-2时其过电位仅为242 mV，塔菲尔斜率仅为50.64 mV·dec^-1。此外，该材料在碱性溶液中经1 000圈循环伏安(CV)循环测试和30 h的恒电压电解测试均表现出良好的稳定性。     

MoSe2/Co-MOF/NF复合材料的制备及电催化产氧性能

设计高效的催化剂对于电解水制氢至关重要。基于过渡金属硒化物(TMSe)的高催化活性和金属有机骨架(MOFs)的灵活结构,我们提出了一种将MOFs与TMSe复合的策略,在导电基底泡沫镍(NF)上生长的复合材料不仅继承了2种单体的优点,还有效地改善了MOFs导电性差、TMSe易团聚的缺点。MoSe₂/Co-MOF/NF在碱性溶液中展示出优异的电催化产氧活性,在电流密度为10 mA·cm^-2时其过电位仅为242 mV,塔菲尔斜率仅为50.64 mV·dec^-1。此外,该材料在碱性溶液中经1 000圈循环伏安(CV)循环测试和30 h的恒电压电解测试均表现出良好的稳定性。     

CoP@SiO2nanoreactors: A core-shell structure for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

Metallic phosphides as a crucial class of metal-like compounds show high electric conductivity and electrochemical properties. It is of significant benefit to understanding the relationship between the electrocatalytic performance and phosphating degree of precursors. In this work, using Co₃O₄@SiO₂ as precursor, core-shell structured CoP@SiO₂ nanoreactors with outstanding oxygen evolution reaction performance were synthesized through a facile calcination method. The electrocatalytic performance of CoP@SiO₂ modified electrode that treated with 500 mg NaH₂PO₂ was greatly enhanced. The obtained product displays a low overpotential of 280 mV at a current density of 10 mA/cm² and a Tafel value 89 mV/dec in alkaline conditions. The easy available CoP@SiO₂ with outstanding catalytic performance and stability possesses huge potential in future electrochemical applications.     

Controlled Synthesis of 3D Flower‐like Ni2P Composed of Mesoporous Nanoplates for Overall Water Splitting

Developing efficient non‐noble metal and earth‐abundant electrocatalysts with tunable microstructures for overall water splitting is critical to promote clean energy technologies for a hydrogen economy. Herein, novel three‐dimensional (3D) flower‐like Ni₂P composed of mesoporous nanoplates with controllable morphology and high surface area was prepared by a hydrothermal method and low‐temperature phosphidation as efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Compared with the urchin‐like Ni_x P_y , the 3D flower‐like Ni₂P with a diameter of 5 μm presented an efficient and stable catalytic performance in 0.5 m H₂SO₄, with a small Tafel slope of 79 mV dec⁻¹ and an overpotential of about 240 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² with a mass loading density of 0.283 mg cm⁻². In addition, the catalyst also exhibited a remarkable performance for the OER in 1.0 m KOH electrolyte, with an overpotential of 320 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² and a small Tafel slope of 72 mV dec⁻¹. The excellent catalytic performance of the as‐prepared Ni₂P may be ascribed to its novel 3D morphology with unique mesoporous structure.     

Electrodeposited Amorphous Tungsten‐doped Cobalt Oxide as an Efficient Catalyst for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Thin film of amorphous tungsten‐doped cobalt oxide (W:CoO) was successfully grown on a conducting electrode via an electrochemical oxidation process employing a [Co(WS₄)₂]^2? deposition bath. The W:CoO catalyst displays an attractive performance for the oxygen evolution reaction in an alkaline solution. In an NaOH solution of pH 13, W:CoO operates with a moderate onset overpotential of 230 mV and requires 320 mV overpotential to generate a catalytic current density of 10 mA cm^?2. A low Tafel slope of 45 mV decade^?1 was determined, indicating a rapid O₂‐evolving kinetics. The as‐prepared W:CoO belongs to the best cobalt oxide‐based catalysts ever reported for the oxygen evolution (OER) reaction.     

Bifunctional o-CoSe2/c-CoSe2/MoSe2 heterostructures for enhanced electrocatalytic and photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction

The bottleneck of alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction lies in the kinetically sluggish brought from multistep reaction processes involving water adsorption and dissociation, as well as hydrogen adsorption. In this work, we successfully synthesized o-CoSe₂/c-CoSe₂ heterostructures anchored on MoSe₂ nanosheets to powerfully promote reaction processes. As an electrocatalyst, it exhibits a low overpotential of 112 mV at 10 mA/cm² and a Tafel slope of 96.9 mV/dec for an alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction. Moreover, the as-prepared catalyst can behave as both cathode and anode for overall water splitting, which only requires 1.61 V cell voltage at 10 mA/cm². Significantly, the cell voltage can be further reduced to 1.53 V at 10 mA/cm² for water electrolysis under the simulated solar irradiation owing to such a semiconductor-based heterostructure that facilitates the separation of photogenerated charges. Here, the improving overall performance of this ternary electrocatalyst is attributed to the multifunctionality and synergistic interaction of different components in this heterogeneous material. The work provides a novel strategy to design active catalysts simultaneously using electric energy and solar energy for effective water splitting.     

Nanostructured NiMoO4 as active electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution

Hydrothermally synthesized NiMoO₄ nanorods exhibit considerable electrocatalytic properties for the oxygen evolution in alkaline condition. The performance enhancement of ternary NiMoO₄ over binary oxide NiO and MoO₃ is attributed to the inclusion of Mo that promotes the pre-redox reaction of Ni to form active Ni species.     

氮掺杂碳纤维负载镍钴硒化物的制备及其电催化析氢性能

以静电纺丝制备的纤维为前驱体,通过煅烧、硒化处理等工艺合成了负载双金属硒化物纳米粒子的氮掺杂碳纤维(NCF)材料((Ni,Co)Se2/NCF),并对其进行了一系列相关的表征,研究了其在酸性和碱性条件下的析氢性能.(Ni,Co)Se2纳米粒子被锚定于NCF中,有效地阻止了纳米粒子的聚集,提供了更多的催化活性位点.电催化...