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Encapsulating Nickel-Iron Alloy Nanoparticles in a Polysilazane-Derived Microporous Si-C-O-N-Based Support to
Marwan Ben Miled1, Marina Fradin1, Nora Benbakoura2
1CNRS, IRCER, UMR 7315, Univ. Limoges, 12 rue Atlantis, F-87068, Limoges.
Chemsuschem
|August 7, 2024
Summary
This study developed novel nickel-iron nanoparticles confined within a silicon carboxynitride matrix for enhanced oxygen evolution reactions. The material demonstrates high catalytic activity and stability in alkaline media.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Developing efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for energy conversion technologies.
- Nanoparticle catalysts often suffer from aggregation and poor stability, limiting their performance.
- Confining nanoparticles within a support matrix can enhance stability and catalytic activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize nickel-iron (Ni-Fe) nanoparticles (NPs) in-situ confined within a porous silicon carboxynitride (Si-C-O-N) matrix.
- To investigate the electrocatalytic activity of these confined Ni-Fe NPs for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media.
- To understand the role of NP-matrix interaction and confinement effect on catalytic performance.
Main Methods:
- Commercial polysilazane and Ni/Fe chlorides were reacted to form coordination polymers.
- Coordination polymers were heat-treated at 500°C in argon to yield Si-C-O-N matrix with in-situ generated Ni-Fe NPs.
- Electrochemical measurements were performed to evaluate OER activity and stability.
- Post-mortem microscopy was used to analyze NP-matrix interaction.
Main Results:
- Face-centered cubic Ni-Fe alloy NPs (15-30 nm) were successfully generated within a porous Si-C-O-N matrix with a high specific surface area (237 m²/g).
- The confined Ni-Fe NPs exhibited a low OER overpotential of 315 mV at 10 mA/cm² with low metal loading (0.24 mg/cm²).
- The catalyst demonstrated stable performance after an activation step, attributed to strong NP-matrix interaction and confinement.
Conclusions:
- The in-situ confinement strategy effectively stabilizes Ni-Fe NPs and enhances their OER activity in alkaline media.
- The developed Si-C-O-N supported Ni-Fe NPs represent a promising electrocatalyst for water oxidation.
- The synthesis approach validates the benefits of NP-matrix confinement for catalytic applications.
