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Modulating Local Electronic Structure via Cluster Engineering on Cobalt Phosphide for Efficient Water/Seawater
Cheng Gong1,2, Fengying Pan1, Pengpeng Zhang1
1Joint International Laboratory on Environmental and Energy Frontier Materials, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China.
Oxidized iron nanocluster-decorated cobalt phosphide (FeOₓ-ACs/CoₓP) enhances electrocatalysis for water splitting. This novel material demonstrates superior oxygen evolution reaction performance and durability, paving the way for efficient hydrogen production.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Developing efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts is crucial for large-scale water and seawater electrolysis.
- Current challenges include achieving high performance and long-term stability in demanding electrolytic environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and investigate a novel electrocatalyst, FeOₓ-ACs/CoₓP, for enhanced water splitting.
- To explore the mechanism behind the improved catalytic activity and its applicability in seawater electrolysis and anion-exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEM-WE).
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of oxidized iron nanocluster-decorated cobalt phosphide (FeOₓ-ACs/CoₓP).
- Electrochemical characterization including overpotential measurements for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at 100 mA cm⁻².
- Durability testing over 100 hours at 100 mA cm⁻².
- Mechanism investigation using computational methods to identify active sites and rate-determining steps.
- Testing in alkaline natural seawater electrolysis and fabrication of an AEM-WE device.
Main Results:
- FeOₓ-ACs/CoₓP achieved a low OER overpotential of 278 mV at 100 mA cm⁻² with over 100 hours of stability.
- Mechanism studies revealed the formation of a high-valence cobalt active center and an optimized adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM) pathway, with *O formation as the rate-determining step.
- The catalyst showed promise in alkaline natural seawater electrolysis (298 mV at 100 mA cm⁻² for 100 hours).
- An AEM-WE device utilizing FeOₓ-ACs/CoₓP achieved a low voltage of 1.85 V at 500 mA cm⁻².
Conclusions:
- Precise nanocluster engineering of FeOₓ-ACs/CoₓP significantly enhances electrocatalytic performance for water splitting.
- The Fe-O-Co bridge interface plays a critical role in improving electron transfer and catalytic activity.
- The developed electrocatalyst shows great potential for efficient and durable hydrogen production via water and seawater electrolysis.
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