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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
09:18
Simple Methods for the Preparation of Non-noble Metal Bulk-electrodes for Electrocatalytic Applications
Published on: June 21, 2017
Space Charge Transfer-Driven Donor-Acceptor Polymers as Nonmetal Electrocatalysts for Efficient and Stable Hydrogen
Dunxun Yu1, Wangjing Xie2, Ronghao Yang1
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan570228, PR China.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|July 20, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed novel donor-acceptor copolymers for efficient and stable hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). The best-performing polymer, P-Ac50-TRZ50, shows excellent catalytic activity and durability, advancing sustainable energy solutions.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Sustainable Energy
Background:
- Efficient electrocatalysts are crucial for sustainable energy conversion, particularly for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
- Nonmetallic organic polymers offer cost-effective and stable alternatives to traditional catalysts.
- Donor-acceptor (D-A) polymer structures can be engineered to enhance catalytic properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and evaluate a series of D-A copolymers for HER electrocatalysis.
- To investigate the structure-property relationships governing the catalytic performance.
- To demonstrate a new strategy for designing high-performance nonmetallic electrocatalysts.
Main Methods:
- Radical copolymerization of M-Ac (donor) and M-TRZ (acceptor) monomers to create P-AcX-TRZ100-X copolymers.
- Electrochemical characterization including current density, overpotential, and Tafel slope measurements.
- In situ Attenuated Total Reflection Surface-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS) to study intermediate adsorption.
- Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to analyze charge distribution and adsorption energy.
Main Results:
- The copolymer P-Ac50-TRZ50, with a balanced D-A ratio, demonstrated superior HER performance.
- Achieved a current density of 10 mA cm-2 at an overpotential of 189 mV with a Tafel slope of 93 mV dec-1.
- Exhibited excellent long-term stability, operating continuously for 200 hours without degradation.
- In situ ATR-SEIRAS and DFT calculations confirmed efficient *H adsorption and optimized Gibbs free energy.
Conclusions:
- The developed D-A copolymers, particularly P-Ac50-TRZ50, are highly effective nonmetallic electrocatalysts for HER.
- Tuning the electronic structure and charge transfer in D-A polymers is a viable strategy for designing advanced electrocatalysts.
- This research offers a promising pathway towards cost-effective and sustainable hydrogen production.
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