Extraordinarily Durable Graphdiyne-Supported Electrocatalyst with High Activity for Hydrogen Production at All Values of pH

Abstract

We have used a scalable and inexpensive method to prepare a catalyst comprising graphdiyne nanosheet-supported cobalt nanoparticles wrapped by N-doped carbon (CoNC/GD); this unprecedentedly durable electrocatalyst mediated the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with highly catalytic activity over all values of pH. The durability of the CoNC/GD structure was evidenced by the catalytic performance being preserved over 36 000, 38 000, and 9000 cycles under basic, acidic, and neutral conditions, respectively-behavior superior to that of commercial Pt/C (10 wt %) under respective conditions. Such long-term durability has rarely been reported previously for HER catalysts. In addition, this electrode displayed excellent catalytic activity because the improved physical/chemical properties facilitated electron transfer in the composite. The combination of high durability and high activity at all values of pH for this nonprecious metal catalyst suggests great suitability for practical water splitting.

Distinctive Improved Synthesis and Application Extensions Graphdiyne for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

“…Furthermore, Xue et al. reported that the N‐doped carbon‐wrapped GD nanosheet exhibited highly catalytic activity at all values of pH in electrocatalysis for the hydrogen evolution reaction . In addition, GD electrode applied to dye‐sensitized solar cells with the participation of Pt nanoparticles have also been reported by Ren et al.…”

Controlled Growth of MoS2 Nanosheets on 2D N‐Doped Graphdiyne Nanolayers for Highly Associated Effects on Water Reduction

“…Superior to conventional carbon materials, a new carbon allotrope, GDY, featuring a single layer of sp‐ and sp 2 ‐hybridized carbon network, has been first synthesized by our group, predicted to be the most stable carbon allotrope, and demonstrated excellent catalytic performances, because of the rich pi bonds and large cavity structure . Owing to its unique electronic properties, graphdiyne possesses the natural band gap (0.47 or 1.12 eV, by two different methods), the intrinsic charge carrier mobility of graphdiyne (2 × 10 5 cm 2 V −1 s −1 ) which is higher than graphene and single‐wall carbon nanotubes (7.9 × 10 4 cm 2 V −1 s −1 ), and the silicon‐like electronic conductivity (2.56 × 10 −1 S m −1 ) .…”

Graphdiyne: A Rising Star of Electrocatalyst Support for Energy Conversion

“…Carbon materials with high surface‐to‐volume ratio, predominant electroconductivity, and high endurance are better choices to support nanoparticles, [ 96 ] while the limited cycle life of such materials is a great challenge. [ 97 ]…”

“…In 2016, Yang and co‐workers developed a scalable and inexpensive way to fabricate GDY‐supported Co nanoparticles (NPs) wrapped by N‐doped carbon (CoNC/GDY) as an excellent electrocatalyst for HER. [ 97 ] Previous study reported that the strong chemical adsorption between transition metals (such as Co) and alkyne rings of GDY was beneficial for depositing Co NPs on GDY surface. [ 99 ] In addition, this strong interaction resulted in the faster electron migration from Co NPs to GDY, which enriched the electron density of GDY and thereby boosted electrocatalytic performance.…”

“…Yang and co‐workers reported an electrocatalyst of CoNC/GDY with high‐performance for HER under all values of pH. [ 97 ] This electrocatalyst also possessed strong stability, it could maintain high activity after successive 36 000, 38 000, and 9000 operations under alkaline, acidic, and neutral conditions, which was more excellent than that of 10% Pt/C catalyst under the completely same condition. Moreover, Liu and his co‐workers reported a 2D/2D WS 2 /GDY heterojunction electrocatalyst which synthetized by facile hydrothermal method.…”