Borocarbonitrides as Metal‐Free Catalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Hydrogen generation by water splitting is clearly a predominant and essential strategy to tackle the problems related to renewable energy. In this context, the discovery of proper catalysts for electrochemical and photochemical water splitting assumes great importance. There is also a serious intent to eliminate platinum and other noble metal catalysts. To replace Pt by a non‐metallic catalyst with desirable characteristics is a challenge. Borocarbonitrides, (BxCyNz) which constitutes a new class of 2D material, offer great promise as non‐metallic catalysts because of the easy tunability of bandgap, surface area, and other electronic properties with variation in composition. Recently, BxCyNz composites with excellent electrochemical and photochemical hydrogen generation activities have been found, especially noteworthy being the observation that BxCyNz with a carbon‐rich composition or its nanocomposites with MoS2 come close to Pt in electrocatalytic properties, showing equally good photochemical activity.

Pore Surface Engineering of Covalent Triazine Frameworks@MoS2 Electrocatalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

“…By thermogravimetry [differential scanningc alorimetry (DSC)/thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA)]m easurements ( Figure S13), we established that the intercalation compound was NH 4 + . [36,37] More importantly,t he MoS 2 nanoparticles are tightly grown on the surfaceo fc rystal CTFs and the synergistic effect of the coordi-nation of triazine units with Mo atoms will sharplyi ncrease the catalytic active sites, accelerating the mass and charget ransfer in HER. In reported 2D CTFs, highly orderedA A( fully eclipsed) stacking leads to large electrostatic coupling and charged elocalization, thus the electron can be not only delocalized effectively in the 2D plane, but also transmitted in the vertical 2D plane direction.…”

Ultrasonic‐Ball Milling: A Novel Strategy to Prepare Large‐Size Ultrathin 2D Materials

“…Especially, it is worth mentioning that as an emerging family of layered 2D materials, BCN, considered to be derived from graphene and possesses adjustable content of B, C, and N, has exhibited great potential in the field of energy storage and conversion. [ 8,10 ]…”

Recent Studies on Bifunctional Perovskite Electrocatalysts in Oxygen Evolution, Oxygen Reduction, and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions under Alkaline Electrolyte

“…The Pt electrode in the above reactions is 29, 38, and 116 mV dec −1 for Volmer, Heyrovksy, and Tafel steps, respectively . Also, the adsorbed intermediate energy in the aforementioned reactions should be neither too high (endothermic) nor too low (exothermic) based on Sabatier principle.…”

“…[54] The following are the well-known Volmer-Heyrovsky or Vomer-Tafel HER reactions with Tafel values under alkaline conditions, [26,54] The Pt electrode in the above reactions is 29, 38, and 116 mV dec À 1 for Volmer, Heyrovksy, and Tafel steps, respectively. [55] Also, the adsorbed intermediate energy in the aforementioned reactions should be neither too high (endothermic) nor too low (exothermic) based on Sabatier principle. Because too strong adsorption leads to slow dissociation of the intermediates on the catalyst surface; on the other hand, too weak interactions lead to poor bonding strength between the catalyst and the intermediates.…”