Conductive and Elastic TiO2 Nanofibrous Aerogels: A New Concept toward Self-Supported Electrocatalysts with Superior Activity and Durability |
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| Authors: | Meng Zhang Yan Wang Yuanyuan Zhang Dr Jun Song Prof Yang Si Prof Jianhua Yan Prof Chunlan Ma Prof Yi-Tao Liu Prof Jianyong Yu Prof Bin Ding |
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| Institution: | 1. Key Laboratory of High Performance Fibers & Products (Ministry of Education), College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620 China;2. College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620 China;3. Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai, 200051 China;4. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Heat Fluid Flow Technology and Energy Application, School of Physical Science and Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009 China |
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| Abstract: | Recently, various titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanostructures have received increasing attention in the fields of energy conversion and storage owing to their electrochemical properties. However, these particulate nanomaterials exclusively exist in the powder form, which may cause health risks and environmental hazards. Herein we report a novel, highly elastic bulk form of TiO2 for safe use and easy recycling. Specifically, TiO2 nanofibrous aerogels (NAs) consisting of resiliently bonded, flexible TiO2 nanofibers are constructed, which have an ultralow bulk density, ultrahigh porosity, and excellent elasticity. To promote charge transfer, they are subjected to lithium reduction to generate abundant oxygen vacancies, which can modulate the electronic structure of TiO2, resulting in a conductivity up to 38.2 mS cm?1. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, the conductive and elastic TiO2 NAs serve as a new type of self-supported electrocatalyst for ambient nitrogen fixation, achieving an ammonia yield of 4.19×10?10 mol s?1 cm?2 and a Faradaic efficiency of 20.3 %. The origin of the electrocatalytic activity is revealed by DFT calculations. |
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| Keywords: | directional assembly lithium reduction nitrogen fixation self-supported electrocatalysts TiO2 nanofibrous aerogels |
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