New TiO₂‐Based Oxide for Catalyzing Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction with Noble Metal‐Like Performance

Abstract

The development of cost‐effective electrocatalysts with high activity and sufficient stability for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for the widespread application of water electrolysis for sustainable H2 production. Transition metal oxides are desirable alternatives to replace benchmark Pt‐based HER electrocatalysts because of their cost effectiveness, facile synthesis, versatile compositions, and easy electronic structure tuning. However, most available transition metal oxides show poor performance for HER catalysis. Here, it is reported that the anatase TiO2 can be efficiently developed into a superior HER electrocatalyst with comparable activity to Pt‐based electrocatalysts in alkaline solution through simultaneous morphology control, proper lattice doping, and surface active sites engineering. Specifically, the obtained cobalt‐doped TiO2 nanorod arrays (Co‐TiO2@Ti(H2)) show a low overpotential of only 78 mV at 10 mA cm−2, a small Tafel plot of 67.8 mV dec−1, and excellent stability even at an ultralarge current density of ≈480 mA cm−2 in 1.0 m KOH solution. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the introduction of Co with rich oxygen vacancies can efficiently lower the energy barrier for water adsorption/dissociation and H intermediate desorption. This work uncovers the potential of the low‐cost transition metal oxides as alternative HER electrocatalysts in alkaline water electrolysis.

Nickel–Cobalt Hydrogen Phosphate on Nickel Nitride Supported on Nickel Foam for Alkaline Seawater Electrolysis

“…The intensive development of renewable clean energy is urgent to address global warming and the energy crisis. Hydrogen (H 2 ) is regarded as a promising alternative for the future energy supply due to its pollution-free use and high gravimetric energy density. − Compared to the traditional steam reforming of natural gas, electrocatalytic water splitting represents a potential strategy to clean hydrogen production due to the zero-carbon emission . However, the limited freshwater feed is deemed as a bottleneck for a large-scale implementation of hydrogen electrolyzer technology around the world.…”

Synthesis and Performance of Photocatalysts for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production: Future Perspectives

“…10 −10 s) [81]. To address these issues, the TiO 2 has been modified by combining different methods and preparation steps, such as the impregnation/doping with metals [65,83,84] and nonmetals [85], the preparation of composite materials containing TiO 2 heterojunctions [86], the control of the polymorphic phases [87], and porosity (micro or meso) [27,66,88,89].…”

Mechanistic insights into dual active sites in Au@W18O49 electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction

“…Hydrogen (H 2 ) as a clean and renewable fuel has been one of the most promising alternatives to overcome the global energy crisis and achieve carbon neutrality. 1,2 The electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) from water splitting is a feasible and sustainable strategy for H 2 generation. 3 The HER typically involves hydrogen adsorption (eqn (1)) and desorption (eqn (2) and ( 3)) which are competitively interdependent on a traditional electrode.…”

“…1,2 The electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) from water splitting is a feasible and sustainable strategy for H 2 generation. 3 The HER typically involves hydrogen adsorption (eqn (1)) and desorption (eqn (2) and ( 3)) which are competitively interdependent on a traditional electrode. 3 (1) Hydrogen adsorption…”