Self-supporting multi-channel Janus carbon fibers: A new strategy to achieve an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting

Dongxue Lv; Duanduan Yin; Ying Yang; Hong Shao; Dan Li; Tianqi Wang; Qianli Ma; Feng Li; Wensheng Yu; Ce Han; Xiangting Dong

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2024.02.162

Self-supporting multi-channel Janus carbon fibers: A new strategy to achieve an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2024 Jun:663:270-279. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.02.162. Epub 2024 Feb 21.

Authors

Dongxue Lv¹, Duanduan Yin², Ying Yang¹, Hong Shao¹, Dan Li¹, Tianqi Wang¹, Qianli Ma¹, Feng Li¹, Wensheng Yu¹, Ce Han³, Xiangting Dong⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry and Nanotechnology at Universities of Jilin Province, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China.
² Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry and Nanotechnology at Universities of Jilin Province, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China. Electronic address: yindd@cust.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China. Electronic address: hance@ciac.ac.cn.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry and Nanotechnology at Universities of Jilin Province, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China. Electronic address: xtdong@cust.edu.cn.

PMID: 38401447
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.02.162

Abstract

A new type of self-supporting multi-channel Janus carbon fibers with efficient water splitting has been successfully manufactured using a specially designed parallel spinneret through electrospinning technology and subsequent carbonization technique. Every single Janus fiber composes of a half side of Mo₂C and the other half side of Ni components as Mo₂C, Ni embedded in N-doped multi-channel Janus carbon fibers ([Mo₂C/C]//[Ni/C]-NMCFs) for overall water splitting. Under optimized condition, the hydrogen evolution reaction overpotential of [Mo₂C/C]//[Ni/C]-NMCFs (62 mV) is just 24 mV higher than 20 wt% Pt/C (38 mV) at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2. Furthermore, it achieves current density of 10 mA cm^-2 to require an overpotential of 324 mV for oxygen evolution reaction. Additionally, the cell assembled by the identical [Mo₂C/C]//[Ni/C]-NMCFs catalyst as both the cathode and anode needs only 1.607 V at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2, which is only 0.022 V higher than that of Pt/C-IrO₂ electrodes. Moreover, [Mo₂C/C]//[Ni/C]-NMCFs catalyst also exhibits a long-term stability. The synergistic effect and unique heterostructure of Mo₂C and Ni enhance the catalytic activity.

Keywords: Hydrogen evolution reaction; Janus carbon fibers; Overall water splitting; Oxygen evolution reaction; Self-supporting; Synergistic effect.