Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2025
09:18
Simple Methods for the Preparation of Non-noble Metal Bulk-electrodes for Electrocatalytic Applications
Published on: June 21, 2017
11.4K
Testing mixed metal bimetallic, and monometallic, cryptates for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution.
Varinder Singh1, Matthew G Robb1, Sally Brooker1
1Department of Chemistry and the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. sbrooker@chemistry.otago.ac.nz.
Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
|January 17, 2025
Summary
New pyridazine-based cryptates were tested as electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). While modest activity was observed, copper(I) cation deposits on electrodes were identified as the likely active species for HER.
Area of Science:
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Designing efficient catalysts is crucial for converting water into hydrogen fuel.
- Pyridazine-based cryptates offer a novel structural motif for catalytic applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize new pyridazine-based mononuclear and dinuclear cryptates.
- To evaluate their performance as electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and structural elucidation of novel Zn-Cu-Li and Zn-Li cryptates.
- Electrocatalytic testing of cryptates for HER in acetonitrile with acetic acid.
- Analysis of electrode deposits formed during electrolysis.
Main Results:
- New mixed metal cryptate [ZnIICuILi](BF4)3 and ZnIILi cryptate analogue synthesized.
- Electrolysis resulted in deposit formation on the electrode, which was the active species.
- Heterobinuclear cryptate deposits showed higher HER activity (TON2h 2.0–3.5) than mononuclear ones (TON2h < 0.75).
- Control experiments indicated CuI deposits are responsible for the observed HER activity.
Conclusions:
- The active species for HER are deposits formed on the electrode surface during electrolysis.
- Copper(I) cations within the cryptate structure are likely responsible for the observed, albeit modest, hydrogen evolution activity.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:17Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
3.2K
Catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes is a transition-metal catalyzed reduction of the double bond using molecular hydrogen to give alkanes. The mode of hydrogen addition follows syn stereochemistry.
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...
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...
3.2K
02:50Catalysis
26.6K
The presence of a catalyst affects the rate of a chemical reaction. A catalyst is a substance that can increase the reaction rate without being consumed during the process. A basic comprehension of a catalysts’ role during chemical reactions can be understood from the concept of reaction mechanisms and energy diagrams.
26.6K
01:08Electrodeposition
584
Electrodeposition is a technique used to separate an analyte from interferents by electrochemical processes. Here, the analyte is a metal ion that can be deposited on an electrode immersed in the sample solution. The electrochemical setup consists of an anode and a cathode. When an electric current is applied to the setup, oxidation occurs at the anode. At the cathode, which consists of a large metal surface, metal ions undergo reduction and deposit onto the surface.
Electrodeposition can...
Electrodeposition can...
584
02:13Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
11.8K
Alkenes undergo reduction by the addition of molecular hydrogen to give alkanes. Because the process generally occurs in the presence of a transition-metal catalyst, the reaction is called 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...
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...
11.8K
03:12Batteries and Fuel Cells
26.9K
A battery is a galvanic cell that is used as a source of electrical power for specific applications. Modern batteries exist in a multitude of forms to accommodate various applications, from tiny button batteries such as those that power wristwatches to the very large batteries used to supply backup energy to municipal power grids. Some batteries are designed for single-use applications and cannot be recharged (primary cells), while others are based on conveniently reversible cell reactions that...
26.9K