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Published on: December 6, 2021
Oxygen vacancy-mediated Ru,Fe co-doped Ni(OH)2 for enhanced hydrogen evolution kinetics
Ruiteng Sun1, Sailong Wang1, Zexing Liang2
1Key Laboratory of Eco-chemical Engineering, International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Eco-chemical Engineering and Green Manufacturing, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, PR China.
Researchers developed a novel electrocatalyst, RuFeNi-OvH, using oxygen vacancies for efficient hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). This catalyst demonstrates excellent stability and cost-effectiveness for hydrogen production via water electrolysis.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Efficient and stable electrocatalysts are crucial for a hydrogen economy powered by water electrolysis.
- Developing cost-effective catalysts is essential for practical hydrogen production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and investigate oxygen vacancies mediated Ru, Fe co-doped Ni(OH)2 (RuFeNi-OvH) as an efficient electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
- To understand the role of oxygen vacancies in modulating the catalyst's electronic structure and reaction kinetics.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of Ru, Fe co-doped Ni(OH)2 with oxygen vacancies (RuFeNi-OvH).
- Electrochemical characterization of HER performance in 1.0 M KOH.
- Theoretical calculations to elucidate the mechanism of water adsorption and hydrogen evolution.
Main Results:
- The RuFeNi-OvH catalyst achieved a current density of 1 A cm-2 at an overpotential of 350 mV.
- The catalyst demonstrated remarkable stability, operating for 200 hours in a three-electrode system.
- Theoretical calculations revealed Ru as the active site for water adsorption/dissociation and Ni for hydrogen evolution.
Conclusions:
- Oxygen vacancies effectively tune the electronic structure and d-band center, reducing the energy barrier for water dissociation and enhancing reaction kinetics.
- RuFeNi-OvH exhibits superior HER performance and stability, with significant cost-effectiveness for anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzers.
- This work offers a new strategy for designing efficient and stable HER catalysts by creating vacancies, promoting practical hydrogen production technology.
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