Nanostructured Rhenium–Carbon Composites as Hydrogen-Evolving Catalysts Effective over the Entire pH Range

Abstract

In addition to platinum (Pt), many metals (e.g., Ru, Co, Mo, Ni, W, and Fe) and their complexes have been explored as catalysts for a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Although the position of relatively inexpensive rhenium (Re) on the so-called Sabatier plot suggests its usefulness in HER, the performance of Re catalysts have, so far, been quite disappointing. The present work describes synthesis and characterization of clusters comprised of rhenium nanoparticles held together by an amorphous-carbon phase. Unlike standard HER catalysts, these Re/C clusters are characterized by small overpotantials and Tafel slopes not only under acidic but also neutral and basic conditions. In addition, they exhibit excellent durability over the entire pH range.

Electronic Reconfiguration of Metal Rhenium Induced by Strong Metal–Support Interaction Enhancing the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

“…Figure 3a,b shows the core level spectra of Re 4f; the peak positions of 41.89 and 44.17 eV can be ascribed to the state of Re 4+ for Re/ReS 2 -CC and that is negative shifted compared to ReS 2 -CC (42.33 and 44.74 eV), and the peak positions of 41.32 and 43.82 eV can be attributed to metal Re 0 . [23,46] These results validate that metal Re and ReS 2 coexist in the Re/ReS 2 -CC and also that it is in line with the results of SEM, TEM, and XRD. In addition, the peak positions of 46.64 and 49.08 eV are assisted with the state of Re 7+ , which can be ascribed to the surface oxidation of the sample.…”

“…Regrettably, the performance of the Re is usually not satisfactory, where the overpotential is generally more than 200 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm −2 . [23] One of the main reasons is the failure to develop an effective preparation way so that the obtained metal Re maintains the nanostructure and dispersion well. [24,25] More importantly, the HER behavior of most metals including Re tends to be poorer in alkaline electrolytes than in acidic electrolytes, which is mainly due to the poor hydrophilicity and the OH bonds difficult scission.…”

Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction of Rhenium Metal and Rhenium‐Based Intermetallic in Acid and Alkaline Media

“…Based on the criteria listed above, it is understandable that there are only handful electrocatalysts, which can be used in both acid and alkaline electrolyte for HER [10] . Rhenium (Re) metal is a promising electrocatalyst in this regard because it exhibits high corrosion resistance in both acid and alkaline electrolyte [11] . Despite this advantage, the high overpotential (>100 mV @ 10 mA/cm 2 ) of Re metal toward HER is the obvious drawback that impedes related studies [12] .…”

Synthesis of cobalt, palladium, and rhenium nanoparticles

“…In another research, Kim et al [179] developed Re nanoparticle clusters (NPCs)-based catalysts for HER, where ReNPc was mixed with a-C which served as an electrically conductive material. ReO 2 -NPC/a-Cs were synthesized in a two-step approach including the gelation of Re 2 O 7 with tetrahydrofuran (THF) and the solovothermal processing of the formed gel.…”