Er-intercalated Ti₃C₂T _x MXene electrocatalyst for efficient energy conversion

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Sustainable Energy

Background:

• Bifunctional catalysts are crucial for sustainable green hydrogen production via water splitting.
• MXenes, like Ti3C2Tx, show promise due to their unique properties, but achieving balanced hydrogen evolution (HER) and oxygen evolution (OER) activity is challenging.
• Precious metal electrocatalysts are currently the benchmark for water splitting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and evaluate novel bifunctional electrocatalysts based on erbium-intercalated Ti3C2Tx MXene (Er@Ti3C2Tx) for overall water splitting.
• To investigate the catalytic performance, stability, and structural characteristics of the developed nanocomposite.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Ti3C2Tx MXene and Er@Ti3C2Tx nanocomposites.
• Electrochemical characterization including cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and chronoamperometry in alkaline media (1 M KOH).
• Structural and morphological analysis using XRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).

Main Results:

• Er@Ti3C2Tx demonstrated excellent HER activity (256 mV overpotential at 10 mA cm-2) and superior OER activity (381 mV overpotential at 10 mA cm-2).
• The catalyst exhibited long-term stability and durability during chronoamperometry tests.
• Structural analysis confirmed successful erbium intercalation, increasing the d-spacing to 12.2 Å and reducing charge-transfer resistance, indicating enhanced kinetics.

Conclusions:

• Er@Ti3C2Tx nanocomposites are highly effective bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting in alkaline media.
• The intercalation of erbium significantly enhances the catalytic performance and stability of Ti3C2Tx MXene.
• These findings offer a promising pathway towards developing cost-effective and efficient electrocatalysts for green hydrogen production.