Platinum
(Pt)-based-nanomaterials are currently the most successful
catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in electrochemical
energy conversion devices such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries.
Nonetheless, Pt catalysts have serious drawbacks, including low abundance
in nature, sluggish kinetics, and very high costs, which limit their
practical applications. Herein, we report the first rationally designed
nonprecious Co–Cu bimetallic metal–organic framework
(MOF) using a low-temperature hydrothermal method that outperforms
the electrocatalytic activity of Pt/C for ORR in alkaline environments.
The MOF catalyst surpassed the ORR performance of Pt/C, exhibiting
an onset potential of 1.06 V vs RHE, a half-wave potential of 0.95
V vs RHE, and a higher electrochemical stability (ΔE
1/2 = 30 mV) after 1000 ORR cycles in 0.1 M NaOH. Additionally,
it outperformed Pt/C in terms of power density and cyclability in
zinc-air batteries. This outstanding behavior was attributed to the
unique electronic synergy of the Co−Cu bimetallic centers in
the MOF network, which was revealed by XPS and PDOS.
Fullerene-based low-dimensional (LD)
heterostructures have emerged
as excellent energy conversion materials. We constructed van der Waals
1T-MoS2/C60 0D-2D heterostructures via a one-pot
synthetic approach for catalytic hydrogen generation. The interfacial
1T-MoS2–C60 and C60–C60 interactions as well as their electrocatalytic properties
were finely controlled by varying the weight percentages of the fullerenes.
1T-MoS2 platforms provided a novel template for the formation
of C60 nanosheets (NSs) within a very narrow fullerene
concentration range. The heterostructure domains of 1T-MoS2 and C60 NSs exhibited excellent hydrogen evolution reaction
(HER) performances, with one of the lowest onset potentials and ΔG
H* values for LD non-precious nanomaterials
reported to date.
Recent advances in the area of quantum dots (QDs) have shown their wide range of applications that extend from sensing [50] and bioimaging to catalytic water splitting owing to their remarkable electronic,e lectrochemical, optical, and catalytic properties. [51, 52] Thes ynthesis of QDs can be Alain R. Puente Santiago received his PhD degree in Physical Chemistry with distinction from the University of Cordova, Spain in 2017. He is currently apostdoctoral fellow in Prof. Luis Echegoyen's group in the Chemistry Department of the University of Texas at El Paso. His research interests focus on the developmento flow-dimensional nanohybrids for electrocatalysis. Olivia Fernandez-Delgado was born in Cuba (Havana) in 1993. She obtained her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Havana in 2016. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in the group of Prof. Luis Echegoyen in the University of Texas at El Paso. Her research interests include the synthesis and characterization of new fullerene and carbon nanoonion derivativesf or photovoltaic, catalytic, and biological applications.
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