Ag nanoparticles anchored on MIL-100/nickel foam nanosheets as an electrocatalyst for efficient oxygen evolution reaction performance

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit excellent application potential in the field of electrocatalysis.In this study,we first prepare MIL-100 nanosheets on nickel foam (MIL-100/NF) and then successfully anchor Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on the nanosheets (Ag@MIL-100/NF) for oxygen evolution reaction(OER) catalysis.This strategy dramatically improves the conductivity of MIL-100 and the Ag NPs are uni-formly dispersed on the nanosheets.The Ag@MIL-100/NF catalyst has excellent electrocatalytic perfor-mance and long-term corrosion resistance,with a low overpotential of 207 mV and a long-term stability of at least 100 h at a current density of 50 mA·cm-2.The experimental results demonstrate that this high OER catalytic performance is due to the improved charge transfer after loading Ag NPs,the com-bination of nanosheets and highly dispersed Ag NPs that expose more active sites and the adjusted chem-ical valence states of Fe and Ni in MIL-100.This work provides a surface decoration approach for the preparation of excellent catalysts directly used in the OER.     

Engineering oxygen vacancy-rich Co3O4 nanowire as high-efficiency and durable bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall alkaline water splitting

A novel kind of vacancy-rich nanowire arrays were prepared by reducing rough Co₃O₄ nanowires with NaBH₄ solution on 3D nickel foam at room temperature for overall water splitting. Co₃O₄/NF treated by NaBH₄ for 10 min was highly active for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and simultaneously efficient for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with the need of the overpotentials of 240 and 132 mV to drive 10 mA·cm^-2 in alkaline media, respectively. Furthermore, the electrocatalysts as both cathode and anode in a two-electrode system presented excellent durability for over 60 h at 10 mA·cm^-2, maintaining the cell voltage of merely 1.63 V. This work provides new methods and ideas for the preparation of transition metal oxide bifunctional electrocatalysts rich in oxygen vacancies.     

富氧空位Co3O4纳米线的制备及其电解水性能研究

在室温下利用NaBH₄溶液还原Co₃O₄纳米线获得富含氧空位（V_O）的三维自支撑纳米线阵列用作全水解电催化剂,其中NaBH₄处理10 min的Co₃O₄/NF在碱性介质中对析氧反应（OER）和析氢反应（HER）表现出很高的活性,在10 mA·cm^-2电流密度下分别仅需240和132 mV的过电位。V_O-Co₃O₄/NF同时作为阴极和阳极电催化剂时,在10 mA·cm^-2下电解水槽电压仅为1.63 V,其耐久性可达60 h以上。该工作为富含氧空位结构的过渡金属氧化物双功能电催化剂的制备提供了新的方法和思路。     

Cathodic behaviour of RuO2-doped Ni/Co3O4 electrodes in alkaline solutions: hydrogen evolution

RuO2-doped Co3O4 electrodes were prepared by thermal decomposition of the corresponding nitrates using Ni as a support. The RuO2 content was varied between 0 and 20mol%. The kinetics of hydrogen evolution from alkaline solution was studied by recording quasisteady state polarization curves at several NaOH concentrations. A mechanism is proposed on the basis of Tafel slopes and reaction orders. The electrocatalytic activity of the mixed oxides has been found to go through a maximum at intermediate RuO2 contents. Some evidence of instability has emerged.     

3D Network nanostructured NiCoP nanosheets supported on N-doped carbon coated Ni foam as a highly active bifunctional electrocatalyst for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions

A highly active bi-functional electrocatalyst towards both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions is critical for the water splitting. Herein, a self-supported electrode composed of 3D network nanostructured NiCoP nanosheets grown on N-doped carbon coated Ni foam (NiCoP/NF@NC) has been synthesized by a hydrothermal route and a subsequent phosphorization process. As a bifunctional electrocatalyst, the NiCoP/NF@NC electrode needs overpotentials of 31.8 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction and 308.2 mV for oxygen evolution reaction to achieve the current density of 10 mA·cm⁻² in 1 mol·L⁻¹ KOH electrolyte. This is much better than the corresponding monometal catalysts of CoP/NF@NC and NiP/NF@NC owing to the synergistic effect. NiCoP/NF@NC also exhibits low Tafel slope, and excellent long-term stability, which are comparable to the commercial noble catalysts of Pt/C and RuO₂.