Ultrafast room-temperature synthesis of porous S-doped Ni/Fe (oxy)hydroxide electrodes for oxygen evolution catalysis in seawater splitting

Author(s): Luo Yu ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵ , Libo Wu ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Brian McElhenny ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Shaowei Song ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Dan Luo ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Fanghao Zhang ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Ying Yu ⁵ ^, ⁶ ^, ⁷ ^, ⁸ , Shuo Chen ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Zhifeng Ren ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴

Publication date (Electronic): 2020

Journal: Energy & Environmental Science

Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

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Abstract

A robust oxygen-evolving electrocatalyst for high-performance seawater splitting was developed using a cost-effective and industrially compatible method.

Abstract

Developing energy- and time-saving methods to synthesize active and stable oxygen evolving catalysts is of great significance to hydrogen production from water electrolysis, which however remains a grand challenge. Here we report a one-step approach to grow highly porous S-doped Ni/Fe (oxy)hydroxide catalysts on Ni foam in several minutes under room temperature. This ultrafast method effectively engineers the surface of Ni foam into a rough S-doped Ni/Fe (oxy)hydroxide layer, which has multiple levels of porosity and good hydrophilic features and exhibits extraordinary oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance in both alkaline salty water and seawater electrolytes. Specifically, the S-doped Ni/Fe (oxy)hydroxide catalyst requires low overpotentials of 300 and 398 mV to deliver current densities of 100 and 500 mA cm ⁻², respectively, when directly used as an OER catalyst in alkaline natural seawater electrolyte. Using this OER catalyst together with an efficient hydrogen evolution reaction catalyst, we have achieved the commercially demanded current densities of 500 and 1000 mA cm ⁻² at low voltages of 1.837 and 1.951 V, respectively, for overall alkaline seawater electrolysis at room temperature with very good durability. This work affords a cost-efficient surface engineering method to steer commercial Ni foam into robust OER catalysts for seawater electrolysis, which has important implications for both the hydrogen economy and environmental remediation.

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Double-slit photoelectron interference in strong-field ionization of the neon dimer

Maksim Kunitski, Nicolas Eicke, Pia Huber … (2019)

Wave-particle duality is an inherent peculiarity of the quantum world. The double-slit experiment has been frequently used for understanding different aspects of this fundamental concept. The occurrence of interference rests on the lack of which-way information and on the absence of decoherence mechanisms, which could scramble the wave fronts. Here, we report on the observation of two-center interference in the molecular-frame photoelectron momentum distribution upon ionization of the neon dimer by a strong laser field. Postselection of ions, which are measured in coincidence with electrons, allows choosing the symmetry of the residual ion, leading to observation of both, gerade and ungerade, types of interference.

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Combining theory and experiment in electrocatalysis: Insights into materials design

Zhi Seh, Jakob Kibsgaard, Colin F. Dickens … (2017)

Electrocatalysis plays a central role in clean energy conversion, enabling a number of sustainable processes for future technologies. This review discusses design strategies for state-of-the-art heterogeneous electrocatalysts and associated materials for several different electrochemical transformations involving water, hydrogen, and oxygen, using theory as a means to rationalize catalyst performance. By examining the common principles that govern catalysis for different electrochemical reactions, we describe a systematic framework that clarifies trends in catalyzing these reactions, serving as a guide to new catalyst development while highlighting key gaps that need to be addressed. We conclude by extending this framework to emerging clean energy reactions such as hydrogen peroxide production, carbon dioxide reduction, and nitrogen reduction, where the development of improved catalysts could allow for the sustainable production of a broad range of fuels and chemicals.

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Partially oxidized atomic cobalt layers for carbon dioxide electroreduction to liquid fuel.

Shan Gao, Yue Lin, Xingchen Jiao … (2016)

Electroreduction of CO2 into useful fuels, especially if driven by renewable energy, represents a potentially 'clean' strategy for replacing fossil feedstocks and dealing with increasing CO2 emissions and their adverse effects on climate. The critical bottleneck lies in activating CO2 into the CO2(•-) radical anion or other intermediates that can be converted further, as the activation usually requires impractically high overpotentials. Recently, electrocatalysts based on oxide-derived metal nanostructures have been shown to enable CO2 reduction at low overpotentials. However, it remains unclear how the electrocatalytic activity of these metals is influenced by their native oxides, mainly because microstructural features such as interfaces and defects influence CO2 reduction activity yet are difficult to control. To evaluate the role of the two different catalytic sites, here we fabricate two kinds of four-atom-thick layers: pure cobalt metal, and co-existing domains of cobalt metal and cobalt oxide. Cobalt mainly produces formate (HCOO(-)) during CO2 electroreduction; we find that surface cobalt atoms of the atomically thin layers have higher intrinsic activity and selectivity towards formate production, at lower overpotentials, than do surface cobalt atoms on bulk samples. Partial oxidation of the atomic layers further increases their intrinsic activity, allowing us to realize stable current densities of about 10 milliamperes per square centimetre over 40 hours, with approximately 90 per cent formate selectivity at an overpotential of only 0.24 volts, which outperforms previously reported metal or metal oxide electrodes evaluated under comparable conditions. The correct morphology and oxidation state can thus transform a material from one considered nearly non-catalytic for the CO2 electroreduction reaction into an active catalyst. These findings point to new opportunities for manipulating and improving the CO2 electroreduction properties of metal systems, especially once the influence of both the atomic-scale structure and the presence of oxide are mechanistically better understood.