Defect-Rich FeN0.023/Mo2C Heterostructure as a Highly Efficient Bifunctional Catalyst for Overall Water-Splitting

NanNan Han; ShiWen Luo; ChengWei Deng; Sheng Zhu; QunJie Xu; YuLin Min

doi:10.1021/acsami.0c19839

Defect-Rich FeN_0.023/Mo₂C Heterostructure as a Highly Efficient Bifunctional Catalyst for Overall Water-Splitting

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2021 Feb 24;13(7):8306-8314. doi: 10.1021/acsami.0c19839. Epub 2021 Feb 16.

Authors

NanNan Han¹, ShiWen Luo¹, ChengWei Deng², Sheng Zhu^{1

3}, QunJie Xu^{1

3}, YuLin Min^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Materials Protection and Advanced Materials Electric Power, Shanghai University of Electric Power, Shanghai 200090, P. R. China.
² Shanghai Institute of Space Power-sources / State Key Laboratory of Space Power-sources Technology, Shanghai 200245, P. R. China.
³ Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China.

PMID: 33591161
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c19839

Abstract

The innovation in highly efficient, stable, and economical bifunctional overall water-splitting electrocatalysts is critical in developing sustainable energy, but it remains challenging. In this research, we have developed an unsophisticated method to synthesize hybrid nanoparticles (FeN_0.023/Mo₂C/C) uniformly dispersed in nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets. The two active components FeN_0.023 and Mo₂C are coupled to form an FeN_0.023/Mo₂C/C heterostructure being a highly efficient electrocatalyst, which gives low overpotentials of 227/76 mV for OER/HER at 10 mA cm^-2 current density. The alkaline-electrolyzer with FeN_0.023/Mo₂C/C as the anode-cathode catalyst needs merely 1.55 V to reach 10 mA cm^-2 and can maintain a stable state for a minimum of 10 h. This research gives a simple effective resolution in designing affordable and useful overall water-splitting electrocatalysts.

Keywords: heterostructure; iron nitride; lattice defects; molybdenum carbide; nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets; overall water-splitting.