Water splitting is an environmentally friendly strategy to produce hydrogen but is limited by the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop highly efficient electrocatalysts. Here, NiFe layered double hydroxides (NiFe LDH) with tunable Ni/Fe composition exhibit corresponding dependent morphology, layered structure, and chemical states, leading to higher activity and better stability than that of conventional NiFe LDH-based catalysts. The characterization data show that the low overpotentials (249 mV at 10 mA cm -2 ), ultrasmall Tafel slopes (24 mV dec -1 ), and high current densities of Ni 3 Fe LDH result from the larger fraction of trivalent Fe 3+ and the optimized local chemical environment with more oxygen coordination and ordered atomic structure for the metal site. Owing to the active intermediate species, Ni(Fe)OOH, under OER conditions and a reversible dynamic phase transition during the cycling process, the Ni 3 Fe LDH achieves a high current density of over 2 A cm -2 at 2.0 V, and durability of 400 h at 1 A cm -2 in a single cell test. This work provides insights into the relationship between the composition, electronic structure of the layer, and electrocatalytic performance, and offers a scalable and efficient strategy for developing promising catalysts to support the development of the future hydrogen economy.
Anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysis is hampered by two main issues: stability and performance. Focusing on the latter, this work demonstrates a highly active NiMo cathode for hydrogen evolution in AEM electrolysis. We demonstrate an electrolyzer performance of 1 A cm−2 at 1.9 V (total cell voltage) with a NiMo loading of 5 mg cm−2 and an iridium black anode in 1 M KOH at 50 °C, that may be compared to 1.8 V for a similar cell with Pt at the cathode. The catalysts developed here will be significant in supporting the pursuit of cheap and environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel.
The development of high performance artificial photosynthetic devices, to store solar energy in chemical bonds, requires the existence of stable light-absorbing electrodes for both the oxidative and reductive half-reactions.
Ni and Ni-doped with transition metals (TM) such as Fe and Co represent the most suitable electrodes for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media. Various compositions of co-precipitated Ni 1+x Fe 2−x O 4 and Ni 1+y Co 2−y O 4 nanoparticles were investigated. The intrinsic HER catalytic activity is the same for all the catalysts, which we relate to similar values of the iso-electric point (IEP). However, the mass catalytic activity of the catalysts changes through a modification of the electrochemical surface area. Fractional reaction orders for hydrogen evolution revealed in all catalyst compositions are due to double layer effects and surface acid-base equilibria. Reaction order and Tafel slope of the catalysts are compatible with electrochemical adsorption as the rate-determining step for the HER. Tafel slopes were also evaluated independently from impedance spectroscopy, in good agreement with the polarization curves. Electrodes prepared from catalyst inks containing an anion-exchange ionomer displayed inferior catalytic activity for the HER as compared to electrodes prepared with Nafion in the ink. Chronoamperometry confirmed the sustained superior hydrogen kinetics over time of NiFe 2 O 4 and NiCo 2 O 4 composition over that of NiO. ) unless CC License in place (see abstract). ecsdl.org/site/terms_use address. Redistribution subject to ECS terms of use (see 129.241.231.30 Downloaded on 2019-05-09 to IP F520 Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 166 (8) F519-F533 (2019) ) unless CC License in place (see abstract). ecsdl.org/site/terms_use address. Redistribution subject to ECS terms of use (see 129.241.231.30 Downloaded on 2019-05-09 to IP ) unless CC License in place (see abstract). ecsdl.org/site/terms_use address. Redistribution subject to ECS terms of use (see 129.241.231.30 Downloaded on 2019-05-09 to IP ) unless CC License in place (see abstract). ecsdl.org/site/terms_use address. Redistribution subject to ECS terms of use (see 129.241.231.30 Downloaded on 2019-05-09 to IP
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.