Engineering Doping and Vacancy in a C₃N₄ Electrocatalyst with Ni₄Mo Cocatalyst for Efficient Alkaline Hydrogen...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Sustainable hydrogen production is crucial for meeting global energy demands.
• Robust and cost-effective electrocatalysts are needed for efficient hydrogen evolution reactions (HER), particularly in alkaline media.
• Current catalysts often rely on expensive noble metals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, non-noble metal electrocatalyst for enhanced HER performance.
• To investigate the effect of phosphorus doping on carbon nitride (C3N4) for HER.
• To explore synergistic effects of defect engineering (nitrogen vacancies) and bimetallic alloy loading.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of phosphorus-doped carbon nitride (P-C3N4) electrocatalysts.
• Electrochemical characterization including overpotential and Tafel slope measurements.
• Incorporation of nitrogen vacancies and Ni4Mo bimetallic alloy.

Main Results:

• Optimal phosphorus doping (2.0 at%) significantly improved electronic conductivity and created Lewis acidic sites.
• The engineered P-C3N4 catalyst with nitrogen vacancies and Ni4Mo alloy achieved a low overpotential (η10) of 93 mV at -10 mA·cm⁻².
• A low Tafel slope of 88 mV·dec⁻¹ was recorded, indicating efficient HER kinetics without noble metals.

Conclusions:

• Defect-engineered P-C3N4 systems show significant promise as efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts for green hydrogen generation.
• Phosphorus doping and synergistic modifications enhance catalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline electrolytes.
• This work provides a viable pathway for developing advanced catalysts for sustainable energy applications.