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From passivation to activation - tunable nickel/nickel oxide for hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis
Emma C Lovell1, Xunyu Lu, Qingran Zhang
1Particle and Catalysis Research Group, School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, 2052, NSW, Australia. Xunyu.lu@unsw.edu.au r.amal@unsw.edu.au.
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|January 16, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed a new method for creating nickel oxide/nickel heterostructures on carbon for hydrogen evolution. The degree of nickel oxidation was found to be crucial for optimizing the catalyst
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Developing efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for sustainable energy technologies.
- Nickel-based materials offer a promising alternative to precious metal catalysts, but their performance often requires optimization.
- Heterostructures can provide synergistic effects to enhance catalytic activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel, simple, and controllable method for synthesizing NiO/Ni heterostructures on a carbon support.
- To investigate the influence of varying degrees of Ni oxidation on the HER performance of these heterostructures.
- To elucidate the structure-property relationships governing the catalytic activity.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of Ni deposits on a carbon support.
- Controlled selective oxidation of Ni deposits to form NiO/Ni heterostructures.
- Electrochemical characterization using techniques such as cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to evaluate HER performance.
Main Results:
- Successfully designed and synthesized NiO/Ni heterostructures on a carbon support using a controllable oxidation approach.
- Demonstrated that the extent of Ni oxidation significantly impacts the HER performance.
- Identified an optimal degree of oxidation that maximizes catalytic efficiency.
Conclusions:
- The developed approach offers a facile route to engineer NiO/Ni heterostructures for enhanced HER.
- The degree of Ni oxidation is a critical parameter for tuning the catalytic activity of NiO/Ni heterostructures.
- These findings provide valuable insights for designing advanced nickel-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen production.
