Tuning the surface using palladium based metallosurfactant for hydrogen evolution reaction

Pradeep Kaushik; Gurpreet Kaur; Ganga Ram Chaudhary; Uma Batra

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2020.08.090

Tuning the surface using palladium based metallosurfactant for hydrogen evolution reaction

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2021 Jan 15;582(Pt B):894-905. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.08.090. Epub 2020 Aug 29.

Authors

Pradeep Kaushik¹, Gurpreet Kaur², Ganga Ram Chaudhary¹, Uma Batra³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India.
² Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India. Electronic address: gurpreet14@pu.ac.in.
³ Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh 160012, India. Electronic address: headmett@pec.ac.in.

PMID: 32919117
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.08.090

Abstract

Synthesis of a novel electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is highly demanding for renewable energy production. This research reports the design and development of novel palladium based metallosurfactant (PdCPC(I)) that belongs to the unique class of inorganic-organic hybrid with striking structural features that are explored for the first time in the HER. The formation of the micelle, molecular orientation and surface characteristics of the metallosurfactant are calculated by conductivity and contact angle measurements. The reduction of palladium in metallomicelles during electrolysis accelerates the HER. Metallosurfactant makes the substrate hydrophilic, which in turn enhances the activity of the modified substrate. The 269 mV and 400 mV (vs RHE) overpotential is required to achieve the 10 mA cm^-2 of current density for PdCPC(I) and CPC, respectively. Tafel slope of PdCPC(I) is 57 mV dec^-1, which signifies that the reaction follows the Volmer- Heyrovsky mechanism in the presence of catalyst. The presence of the palladium in the core of the micelle is certified by ICPMS study. The present electrocatalyst also demonstrates 40 h of electrochemical durability. This work opens the doors toward the enhancement of HER, which fulfills the dreams for future energy resources.

Keywords: Contact angle measurements; Electrocatalyst; Hydrogen evolution reaction; Metallosurfactant.