Highly efficient sub-nanometer RuxCuyP2 nanoclusters designed for hydrogen evolution under alkaline media
Beibei Yang1, Duan Bin1, Qingmei Zhong2
1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226000, China; Department of Chemistry, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Highly active non-precious electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) were developed using sub-nanometer copper and ruthenium phosphide nanoclusters on carbon nanofibers. This offers a cost-effective alternative to platinum for clean hydrogen energy.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Renewable Energy
Background:
- Developing efficient, low-cost electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for sustainable hydrogen energy.
- Alkaline water electrolysis faces challenges due to sluggish HER kinetics, hindering widespread adoption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize highly active and stable non-precious electrocatalysts for HER in alkaline media.
- To investigate the performance of novel sub-nanometer bimetallic phosphide nanoclusters supported on carbon nanofibers.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of ruthenium and copper bimetallic phosphide nanoclusters (RuxCuyP2) on graphitic carbon nanofibers (CNF).
- Characterization of nanocluster size and composition.
- Electrochemical evaluation of HER performance in 1.0 M NaOH using techniques like overpotential measurements and kinetic studies.
Main Results:
- Uniform sub-nanometer RuxCuyP2 nanoclusters (~1.90 nm) were successfully dispersed on CNF.
- The optimized RuCuP2/CNF catalyst achieved an overpotential of 10 mV at 10 mA cm-2 in 1.0 M NaOH, outperforming commercial Pt/C.
- Kinetic analysis revealed the RuCuP2/CNF catalyst possesses the highest electrochemical activation energy (20.7 kJ mol-1) for HER among tested bimetallic phosphides.
Conclusions:
- The developed RuCuP2/CNF catalyst demonstrates excellent activity and stability for HER in alkaline solutions.
- This cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach provides a promising pathway for designing advanced non-precious electrocatalysts for hydrogen production.
More Related Videos
06:32A Simple, Low-cost, and Robust System to Measure the Volume of Hydrogen Evolved by Chemical Reactions with Aqueous Solutions
Published on: August 17, 2016
10:19Synthesis and Testing of Supported Pt-Cu Solid Solution Nanoparticle Catalysts for Propane Dehydrogenation
Published on: July 18, 2017
Related Concept Videos
02:17Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...
02:13Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Metals like palladium, platinum, and nickel are commonly used in their solid forms — fine powder on an inert surface. As these catalysts remain insoluble in the reaction mixture, they are referred to as heterogeneous catalysts.
The hydrogenation process takes place on the...
02:50Catalysis
02:24Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Like alkenes, alkynes can be reduced to alkanes in the presence of transition metal catalysts such as Pt, Pd, or Ni. The reaction involves two sequential syn additions of hydrogen via a cis-alkene intermediate.