Phase-Junction Electrocatalysts towards Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline Media

Qiang Fu; Xianjie Wang; Jiecai Han; Jun Zhong; Tongrui Zhang; Tai Yao; Chengyan Xu; Tangling Gao; Shibo Xi; Ce Liang; Lingling Xu; Ping Xu; Bo Song

doi:10.1002/anie.202011318

Phase-Junction Electrocatalysts towards Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline Media

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2021 Jan 4;60(1):259-267. doi: 10.1002/anie.202011318. Epub 2020 Nov 11.

Authors

Qiang Fu¹, Xianjie Wang¹, Jiecai Han², Jun Zhong³, Tongrui Zhang⁴, Tai Yao², Chengyan Xu⁵, Tangling Gao⁶, Shibo Xi⁷, Ce Liang⁸, Lingling Xu⁹, Ping Xu⁸, Bo Song²

Affiliations

¹ School of Physics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, P. R. China.
² National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Advanced Composites in Special Environments, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, P. R. China.
³ Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials Laboratory (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China.
⁴ Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham, Ningbo, 315100, P. R. China.
⁵ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, P. R. China.
⁶ Institute of Petrochemistry, Heilongjiang Academy of Sciences, Harbin, 150040, P. R. China.
⁷ Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences A*STAR, Singapore, 627833, Singapore.
⁸ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, P. R. China.
⁹ Key Laboratory of Photonic and Electronic Bandgap Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, 150080, P. R. China.

PMID: 32964599
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202011318

Abstract

To ensure sustainable hydrogen production by water electrolysis, robust, earth-abundant, and high-efficient electrocatalysts are required. Constructing a hybrid system could lead to further improvement in electrocatalytic activity. Interface engineering in composite catalysts is thus critical to determine the performance, and the phase-junction interface should improve the catalytic activity. Here, we show that nickel diphosphide phase junction (c-NiP₂ /m-NiP₂ ) is an effective electrocatalyst for hydrogen production in alkaline media. The overpotential (at 10 mA cm^-2 ) for NiP₂ -650 (c/m) in alkaline media could be significantly reduced by 26 % and 96 % compared with c-NiP₂ and m-NiP₂ , respectively. The enhancement of catalytic activity should be attributed to the strong water dissociation ability and the rearrangement of electrons around the phase junction, which markedly improved the Volmer step and benefited the reduction process of adsorbed protons.

Keywords: alkaline electrolytes; electrocatalysis; hydrogen evolution reaction; phase junctions.

Abstract

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