CZTS Decorated on Graphene Oxide as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for High-Performance Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) was synthesized by the sonochemical method using 2-methoxyethanol as the solvent and subsequently decorated onto graphene oxide (GO synthesized by the modified Hummers’ method) using two different approaches such as in situ growth and ex situ synthesis followed by deposition. Preliminary characterizations indicated that the synthesized CZTS belongs to the kesterite structure with a sphere-like morphology. The in situ-synthesized CZTS/GO (I-CZTS/GO) composite is used as an efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) which revealed superior electrocatalytic activity with a reduced overpotential (39.3 mV at 2 mA cm –2 ), Tafel slope (70 mV dec –1 ), a larger exchange current density of 908 mA cm –2 , and charge transfer resistance (5 Ω), significantly different from pure CZTS. Besides, the I-CZTS/GO composite exhibits highest HER performance with high current stability of which shows no noticeable degradation after i – t amperometry. The catalytic activity demonstrates that the I-CZTS/GO composite could be a promising electrocatalyst in hydrogen production from their cooperative interactions.

Kesterite Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 thin films synthesized utilizing electrodeposition: Influence of metal doping on the properties

“… 38 The peaks at 494.95 eV and 486.55 eV corresponded to the binding energy of Sn (IV),with a spike at 8.4 eV which is nearly compatible with that of Sn 4+ in CZTS alloy films 39 . The S 2p peaks displayed peaks at 167.16 and 164.08 eV with a spike at 3.08 eV, demonstrating the presence of sulfur state in the CZTS 40,41 . The XPS affirms the oxidation states chemical composition needed for CZTS structure in the anticipated stoichiometric ratio.…”

“…39 The S 2p peaks displayed peaks at 167.16 and 164.08 eV with a spike at 3.08 eV, demonstrating the presence of sulfur state in the CZTS. 40,41 The XPS affirms the oxidation states chemical composition needed for CZTS structure in the anticipated stoichiometric ratio. In addition, high intensity of the elements peaks may be attributed to the increase in CZTS ratio in the film.…”

Thermocatalytic Hydrogen Production Through Decomposition of Methane-A Review

“…Other noble metals like platinum and iridium show enhanced electrocatalytic activity and can be attached to other elements to give better catalytic activity ( Swain et al, 2018 ). However, there are a few drawbacks to these catalysts including their high cost of production and instability ( Digraskar et al, 2019 ). These can be overcome by reducing the size of the noble metals attached to porous carbon structure.…”

High-Performance and Stable Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Achieved by Pt Trimer Decoration on Ultralow-Metal Loading Bimetallic PtPd Nanocatalysts

“…3 In this context, water electrolysis is considered as a footstone of the hydrogen economy. 4,5 The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a cardinal performance-determining step in water electrolysis and demands a highly active and stable catalyst for lowering down the dynamic overpotential and energy consumption. 6 Based on the Sabatier principle, the absorption energy of the intermediate species [e.g., adsorbed hydrogen (H ads )] on the catalyst surface should be neither too high nor too low to trigger the proton reduction with minimum overpotential.…”