Sustainable bacterial cellulose derived composites for high-efficiency hydrogen evolution reaction

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Heteroatom-doped carbon materials are effective for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
• Existing methods face challenges in preparation complexity and catalyst durability.
• A need exists for advanced, stable, and cost-effective HER catalysts for the hydrogen economy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel N-doped composite carbon material for efficient HER.
• To investigate the catalytic performance of CoP-NC/CBC in acidic and alkaline electrolytes.
• To validate a new design strategy for non-precious metal-based HER catalysts.

Main Methods:

• In-situ growth of MOFs (ZIF-67) crystals using BC as a template.
• Carbonization and phosphating of the ZIF-67/BC precursor to form CoP-NC/CBC.
• Electrochemical testing of the CoP-NC/CBC composite as an HER catalyst.

Main Results:

• The CoP-NC/CBC composite demonstrated high HER activity in both acidic (0.5 M H2SO4) and alkaline (1.0 M KOH) electrolytes.
• A current density of 10 mA cm-2 was achieved at an overpotential of 182 mV in acid and 151 mV in alkali.
• The catalyst exhibited excellent stability, crucial for practical hydrogen production.

Conclusions:

• The developed CoP-NC/CBC material shows significant promise as a non-precious metal catalyst for HER.
• The synthesis strategy offers a viable route for creating advanced electrocatalysts.
• This work contributes to the advancement of catalysts for a sustainable hydrogen economy.