Designed NiMoC@C and NiFeMo₂C@C core-shell nanoparticles for oxygen evolution in alkaline media

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Electrochemical water splitting offers a clean route for hydrogen fuel production.
• Developing efficient and cost-effective catalysts is crucial for widespread adoption.
• Non-precious transition metals are attractive alternatives to noble metals for catalysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and evaluate novel non-precious transition metal-based catalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER).
• To investigate the effect of a graphitic carbon shell on catalyst performance and durability.
• To explore synergistic effects in binary and ternary metal-carbon shell structures.

Main Methods:

• Facile sol-gel method for synthesizing metal-carbon shell catalysts (NiMoC@C, NiFeMo2C@C).
• Electrochemical characterization to assess catalytic activity and durability for OER.
• Structural analysis to confirm metal encapsulation within the graphitic shell.

Main Results:

• The NiFeMo2C@C core-shell catalyst demonstrated excellent OER performance in 0.5 M KOH.
• Achieved a current density of 10 mA cm-2 at a low overpotential of 292 mV.
• Outperformed the benchmark Iridium Oxide (IrO2) nanoparticles in catalytic activity.
• The conductive carbon shell enhanced electron transport and catalyst stability.

Conclusions:

• The developed NiFeMo2C@C catalyst is a highly efficient and stable electrocatalyst for the OER.
• The core-shell structure with a graphitic carbon shell offers synergistic benefits for catalysis.
• The scalable synthesis procedure makes these catalysts promising for industrial hydrogen production.