Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 31, 2026
06:32
A Simple, Low-cost, and Robust System to Measure the Volume of Hydrogen Evolved by Chemical Reactions with Aqueous Solutions
Published on: August 17, 2016
20.3K
Highly Electroactive Ni Pyrophosphate/Pt Catalyst toward Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Jayaraman Theerthagiri1, Eduardo S F Cardoso2, Guilherme V Fortunato2
1Centre of Excellence for Energy Research , Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (Deemed to be University) , Chennai 600119 , India.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|January 10, 2019
Summary
This study presents a novel, cost-effective electrocatalyst, β-Ni2P2O7/Pt, for efficient hydrogen production via water splitting. This platinum-decorated catalyst demonstrates excellent performance and durability, rivaling commercial benchmarks with significantly less platinum.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Renewable Energy
Background:
- Developing robust electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen generation through water splitting is crucial for energy research.
- Reducing the high loading of platinum (Pt) in electrocatalysts is essential for cost-effective and efficient water splitting technologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and evaluate novel, low-Pt loading electrocatalysts based on nickel pyrophosphate (β-Ni2P2O7) and nickel phosphate (Ni3(PO4)2) decorated with platinum for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
- To investigate the electrocatalytic performance and durability of these materials for efficient hydrogen production.
Main Methods:
- Hierarchically structured β-Ni2P2O7 and Ni3(PO4)2 were synthesized using precipitation and solution combustion methods.
- Platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) were decorated onto the nickel phosphate materials (β-Ni2P2O7/Pt and Ni3(PO4)2/Pt) using potassium hexachloroplatinate and ascorbic acid.
- Electrochemical studies, including overpotential, Tafel slope, and exchange current density measurements, were conducted to assess HER performance and stability.
Main Results:
- The β-Ni2P2O7/Pt electrocatalyst (1 μg·cm-2 Pt) exhibited excellent HER performance in acidic solution, with an overpotential of 28 mV at -10 mA·cm-2 and a Tafel slope of 32 mV·dec-1.
- Performance metrics were comparable to commercial Vulcan/Pt (8.0 μg·cm-2 Pt) but with eight times less platinum loading.
- The β-Ni2P2O7/Pt catalyst demonstrated remarkable stability, maintaining its performance after 12 days of testing, attributed to well-distributed Pt NPs within the β-Ni2P2O7 structure facilitating the Volmer-Tafel mechanism.
Conclusions:
- The synthesized β-Ni2P2O7/Pt material is a highly promising, cost-effective electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen production via water splitting.
- The hierarchical structure and Pt NP distribution contribute to superior catalytic activity and durability, offering a viable alternative to high-Pt loading catalysts.
Related Concept Videos
02:55The Evidence for Evolution
48.1K
Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
48.1K
01:54Convergent Evolution
32.8K
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
32.8K
00:26Hydrogen Bonds
133.1K
Hydrogen bonds are weak attractions between atoms that have formed other chemical bonds. One of these atoms is electronegative, like oxygen, and has a partial negative charge. The other is a hydrogen atom that has bonded with another electronegative atom and has a partial positive charge.
Hydrogen Bonds Control the World!
Because hydrogen has very weak electronegativity when it binds with a strongly electronegative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen, electrons in the bond are unequally shared....
Hydrogen Bonds Control the World!
Because hydrogen has very weak electronegativity when it binds with a strongly electronegative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen, electrons in the bond are unequally shared....
133.1K
01:04Hydrogen Bonds
14.1K
A hydrogen bond is formed when a weakly positive hydrogen atom already bonded to one electronegative atom (for example, the oxygen in the water molecule) is attracted to another electronegative atom from another polar molecule, such as water (H2O), hydrogen fluoride (HF), or ammonia (NH3). The huge electronegativity difference between the H atom (2.1) and the atom to which it is bonded (4.0 for an F atom, 3.5 for an O atom, or 3.0 for an N atom), combined with the very small size of an H atom...
14.1K
03:26Acids, Bases and Neutralization Reactions
63.7K
An acid-base reaction is one in which a hydrogen ion, H+, is transferred from one chemical species to another. Such reactions are of central importance to numerous natural and technological processes, ranging from the chemical transformations within cells or lakes and oceans to the industrial-scale production of fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, and other substances essential to the society.
63.7K
02:53Reaction Rate
63.0K
The rate of reaction is the change in the amount of a reactant or product per unit time. Reaction rates are therefore determined by measuring the time dependence of some property that can be related to reactant or product amounts. Rates of reactions that consume or produce gaseous substances, for example, are conveniently determined by measuring changes in volume or pressure.
The mathematical representation of the change in the concentration of reactants and products, over time, is the rate...
The mathematical representation of the change in the concentration of reactants and products, over time, is the rate...
63.0K