Supersaturated Doping-Induced Maximized Metal-Support Interaction for Highly Active and Durable Oxygen Evolution.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Catalysis
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Metal-support interaction (MSI) is crucial for catalyst development, but traditional methods yield limited interfaces and compromised performance due to lattice mismatch and poor solubility.
• Existing catalysts often suffer from poor stability and activity, hindering their application in demanding reactions like oxygen evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a universal and tunable method for creating highly doped transition-metal carbides with maximized MSI.
• To investigate the impact of supersaturated doping on catalytic activity and stability, particularly in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER).

Main Methods:

• Employed a strongly nonequilibrium carbothermal shock synthesis involving rapid heating and quenching to achieve supersaturated doping.
• Investigated Ni2FeCo doping in Mo2C, achieving doping levels significantly exceeding thermodynamic equilibrium limits.
• Characterized the synthesized catalysts and evaluated their performance in alkaline oxygen evolution reactions.

Main Results:

• Achieved ~20 at.% Ni2FeCo doping in Mo2C, surpassing the equilibrium limit (<3 at.%) and creating a maximized MSI (Max-MSI) effect.
• The Max-MSI catalyst demonstrated exceptional OER activity (284 mV at 100 mA cm-2) and remarkable stability (700 h), outperforming individual components.
• Demonstrated excellent durability in 7 M KOH (400 h at 100 mA cm-2) attributed to enhanced corrosion resistance and protective oxyhydroxide formation.

Conclusions:

• Supersaturated doping via carbothermal shock is a versatile strategy for enhancing MSI and catalyst performance.
• The developed Max-MSI catalysts exhibit superior activity and unprecedented stability for OER, addressing key limitations in current technologies.
• The synthesis method is scalable and adaptable, showing promise for industrial applications in diverse catalytic processes.