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Wu L, Wu Q, Han Y, Zhang D, Zhang R, Song N, Wu X, Zeng J, Yuan P, Chen J, Du A, Huang K, Yao X. Strengthening the Synergy between Oxygen Vacancies in Electrocatalysts for Efficient Glycerol Electrooxidation. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2401857. [PMID: 38594018 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202401857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Defect-engineered bimetallic oxides exhibit high potential for the electrolysis of small organic molecules. However, the ambiguity in the relationship between the defect density and electrocatalytic performance makes it challenging to control the final products of multi-step multi-electron reactions in such electrocatalytic systems. In this study, controllable kinetics reduction is used to maximize the oxygen vacancy density of a Cu─Co oxide nanosheet (CuCo2O4 NS), which is used to catalyze the glycerol electrooxidation reaction (GOR). The CuCo2O4-x NS with the highest oxygen-vacancy density (CuCo2O4-x-2) oxidizes C3 molecules to C1 molecules with selectivity of almost 100% and a Faradaic efficiency of ≈99%, showing the best oxidation performance among all the modified catalysts. Systems with multiple oxygen vacancies in close proximity to each other synergistically facilitate the cleavage of C─C bonds. Density functional theory calculations confirm the ability of closely spaced oxygen vacancies to facilitate charge transfer between the catalyst and several key glycolic-acid (GCA) intermediates of the GOR process, thereby facilitating the decomposition of C2 intermediates to C1 molecules. This study reveals qualitatively in tuning the density of oxygen vacancies for altering the reaction pathway of GOR by the synergistic effects of spatial proximity of high-density oxygen vacancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyun Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Qilong Wu
- Intelligent Polymer Research Institute and ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Australian Institute for Innovative Materials, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2500, Australia
| | - Yun Han
- School of Engineering and Built Environment, Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Queensland, 4111, Australia
| | - Dongdong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Rongrong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Nan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Xiaofeng Wu
- Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201204, P. R. China
| | - Jianrong Zeng
- Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201204, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, P. R. China
| | - Pei Yuan
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350002, P. R. China
| | - Jun Chen
- Intelligent Polymer Research Institute and ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Australian Institute for Innovative Materials, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2500, Australia
| | - Aijun Du
- School of Chemistry and Physics and Centre for Materials Science, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane, 4001, Australia
| | - KeKe Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Xiangdong Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
- School of Advanced Energy and IGCME, Sun Yat-Sen University (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, P. R. China
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Chatenet M, Pollet BG, Dekel DR, Dionigi F, Deseure J, Millet P, Braatz RD, Bazant MZ, Eikerling M, Staffell I, Balcombe P, Shao-Horn Y, Schäfer H. Water electrolysis: from textbook knowledge to the latest scientific strategies and industrial developments. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:4583-4762. [PMID: 35575644 PMCID: PMC9332215 DOI: 10.1039/d0cs01079k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 106.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Replacing fossil fuels with energy sources and carriers that are sustainable, environmentally benign, and affordable is amongst the most pressing challenges for future socio-economic development. To that goal, hydrogen is presumed to be the most promising energy carrier. Electrocatalytic water splitting, if driven by green electricity, would provide hydrogen with minimal CO2 footprint. The viability of water electrolysis still hinges on the availability of durable earth-abundant electrocatalyst materials and the overall process efficiency. This review spans from the fundamentals of electrocatalytically initiated water splitting to the very latest scientific findings from university and institutional research, also covering specifications and special features of the current industrial processes and those processes currently being tested in large-scale applications. Recently developed strategies are described for the optimisation and discovery of active and durable materials for electrodes that ever-increasingly harness first-principles calculations and machine learning. In addition, a technoeconomic analysis of water electrolysis is included that allows an assessment of the extent to which a large-scale implementation of water splitting can help to combat climate change. This review article is intended to cross-pollinate and strengthen efforts from fundamental understanding to technical implementation and to improve the 'junctions' between the field's physical chemists, materials scientists and engineers, as well as stimulate much-needed exchange among these groups on challenges encountered in the different domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marian Chatenet
- University Grenoble Alpes, University Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, Grenoble INP (Institute of Engineering and Management University Grenoble Alpes), LEPMI, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Bruno G Pollet
- Hydrogen Energy and Sonochemistry Research group, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway
- Green Hydrogen Lab, Institute for Hydrogen Research (IHR), Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), 3351 Boulevard des Forges, Trois-Rivières, Québec G9A 5H7, Canada
| | - Dario R Dekel
- The Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3200003, Israel
- The Nancy & Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP), Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Fabio Dionigi
- Department of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering Division, Technical University Berlin, 10623, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jonathan Deseure
- University Grenoble Alpes, University Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, Grenoble INP (Institute of Engineering and Management University Grenoble Alpes), LEPMI, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Pierre Millet
- Paris-Saclay University, ICMMO (UMR 8182), 91400 Orsay, France
- Elogen, 8 avenue du Parana, 91940 Les Ulis, France
| | - Richard D Braatz
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Martin Z Bazant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
- Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Michael Eikerling
- Chair of Theory and Computation of Energy Materials, Division of Materials Science and Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Intzestraße 5, 52072 Aachen, Germany
- Institute of Energy and Climate Research, IEK-13: Modelling and Simulation of Materials in Energy Technology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Iain Staffell
- Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Paul Balcombe
- Division of Chemical Engineering and Renewable Energy, School of Engineering and Material Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Yang Shao-Horn
- Research Laboratory of Electronics and Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Helmut Schäfer
- Institute of Chemistry of New Materials, The Electrochemical Energy and Catalysis Group, University of Osnabrück, Barbarastrasse 7, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany.
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Reith L, Triana CA, Pazoki F, Amiri M, Nyman M, Patzke GR. Unraveling Nanoscale Cobalt Oxide Catalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction: Maximum Performance, Minimum Effort. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:15022-15038. [PMID: 34499506 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c03375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a key bottleneck step of artificial photosynthesis and an essential topic in renewable energy research. Therefore, stable, efficient, and economical water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) are in high demand and cobalt-based nanomaterials are promising targets. Herein, we tackle two key open questions after decades of research into cobalt-assisted visible-light-driven water oxidation: What makes simple cobalt-based precipitates so highly active-and to what extent do we need Co-WOC design? Hence, we started from Co(NO3)2 to generate a precursor precipitate, which transforms into a highly active WOC during the photocatalytic process with a [Ru(bpy)3]2+/S2O82-/borate buffer standard assay that outperforms state of the art cobalt catalysts. The structural transformations of these nanosized Co catalysts were monitored with a wide range of characterization techniques. The results reveal that the precipitated catalyst does not fully change into an amorphous CoOx material but develops some crystalline features. The transition from the precipitate into a disordered Co3O4 material proceeds within ca. 1 min, followed by further transformation into highly active disordered CoOOH within the first 10 min. Furthermore, under noncatalytic conditions, the precursor directly transforms into CoOOH. Moreover, fast precipitation and isolation afford a highly active precatalyst with an exceptional O2 yield of 91% for water oxidation with the visible-light-driven [Ru(bpy)3]2+/S2O82- assay, which outperforms a wide range of carefully designed Co-containing WOCs. We thus demonstrate that high-performance cobalt-based OER catalysts indeed emerge effortlessly from a self-optimization process favoring the formation of Co(III) centers in all-octahedral environments. This paves the way to new low-maintenance flow chemistry OER processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Reith
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Carlos A Triana
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Faezeh Pazoki
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.,Chemical Engineering Department, University of Tehran, District 6, 16th Azar St., Enghelab Sq., Tehran 1417935840, Iran
| | - Mehran Amiri
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4003, United States
| | - May Nyman
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4003, United States
| | - Greta R Patzke
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Güttinger R, Wiprächtiger G, Blacque O, Patzke GR. Co/Ni-polyoxotungstate photocatalysts as precursor materials for electrocatalytic water oxidation. RSC Adv 2021; 11:11425-11436. [PMID: 35423616 PMCID: PMC8695939 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra10792a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
An open-core cobalt polyoxometalate (POM) [(A-α-SiW9O34)Co4(OH)3(CH3COO)3]8-Co(1) and its isostructural Co/Ni-analogue [(A-α-SiW9O34)Co1.5Ni2.5(OH)3(CH3COO)3]8-CoNi(2) were synthesized and investigated for their photocatalytic and electrocatalytic performance. Co(1) shows high photocatalytic O2 yields, which are competitive with leading POM water oxidation catalysts (WOCs). Furthermore, Co(1) and CoNi(2) were employed as well-defined precursors for heterogeneous WOCs. Annealing at various temperatures afforded amorphous and crystalline CoWO4- and Co1.5Ni2.5WO4-related nanoparticles. CoWO4-related particles formed at 300 °C showed substantial electrocatalytic improvements and were superior to reference materials obtained from co-precipitation/annealing routes. Interestingly, no synergistic interactions between cobalt and nickel centers were observed for the mixed-metal POM precursor and the resulting tungstate catalysts. This stands in sharp contrast to a wide range of studies on various heterogeneous catalyst types which were notably improved through Co/Ni substitution. The results clearly demonstrate that readily accessible POMs are promising precursors for the convenient and low-temperature synthesis of amorphous heterogeneous water oxidation catalysts with enhanced performance compared to conventional approaches. This paves the way to tailoring polyoxometalates as molecular precursors with tuneable transition metal cores for high performance heterogeneous electrocatalysts. Our results furthermore illustrate the key influence of the synthetic history on the performance of oxide catalysts and highlight the dependence of synergistic metal interactions on the structural environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Güttinger
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zurich Switzerland http://www.patzke.ch
| | - Giann Wiprächtiger
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zurich Switzerland http://www.patzke.ch
| | - Olivier Blacque
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zurich Switzerland http://www.patzke.ch
| | - Greta R Patzke
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zurich Switzerland http://www.patzke.ch
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Synthesis of Micro- and Nanoparticles in Sub- and Supercritical Water: From the Laboratory to Larger Scales. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/app10165508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The use of micro- and nanoparticles is gaining more and more importance because of their wide range of uses and benefits based on their unique mechanical, physical, electrical, optical, electronic, and magnetic properties. In recent decades, supercritical fluid technologies have strongly emerged as an effective alternative to other numerous particle generation processes, mainly thanks to the peculiar properties exhibited by supercritical fluids. Carbon dioxide and water have so far been two of the most commonly used fluids for particle generation, the former being the fluid par excellence in this field, mainly, because it offers the possibility of precipitating thermolabile particles. Nevertheless, the use of high-pressure and -temperature water opens an innovative and very interesting field of study, especially with regards to the precipitation of particles that could hardly be precipitated when CO2 is used, such as metal particles with a considerable value in the market. This review describes an innovative method to obtain micro- and nanoparticles: hydrothermal synthesis by means of near and supercritical water. It also describes the differences between this method and other conventional procedures, the most currently active research centers, the types of particles synthesized, the techniques to evaluate the products obtained, the main operating parameters, the types of reactors, and amongst them, the most significant and the most frequently used, the scaling-up studies under progress, and the milestones to be reached in the coming years.
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Lienau K, Triana CA, Reith L, Siol S, Patzke GR. Microwave-Hydrothermal Tuning of Spinel-Type Co 3 O 4 Water Oxidation Catalysts. Front Chem 2020; 8:473. [PMID: 32582640 PMCID: PMC7296166 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.00473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Water oxidation is the bottleneck reaction for overall water splitting as a direct and promising strategy toward clean fuels. However, the development of robust and affordable heterogeneous water oxidation catalysts remains challenging, especially with respect to the wide parameter space of synthesis and resulting material properties. Oxide catalysts performance in particular has been shown to depend on both synthetic routes and applied catalytic test methods. We here focus on spinel-type Co3O4 as a representative case for an in-depth study of the influence of rather subtle synthetic parameter variations on the catalytic performance. To this end, a series of Co3O4 samples was prepared via time-saving and tunable microwave-hydrothermal synthesis, while systematically varying a single parameter at a time. The resulting spinel-type catalysts were characterized with respect to key materials properties, including crystallinity, oxidation state and surface area using a wide range of analytical methods, such as PXRD, Raman/IR, XAS and XPS spectroscopy. Their water oxidation activity in electrocatalytic and chemical oxidation setups was then compared and correlated with the obtained catalyst properties. Both water oxidation methods displayed related trends concerning favorable synthetic parameters, namely higher activity for lower synthesis temperatures, lower precursor concentrations, addition of hydrogen peroxide and shorter ramping and reaction times, respectively. In addition to the surface area, structural features such as disorder were found to be influential for the water oxidation activity. The results prove that synthetic parameter screening is essential for optimal catalytic performance, given the complexity of the underlying performance-properties relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla Lienau
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - C. A. Triana
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Reith
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Siol
- Empa—Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Greta R. Patzke
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Reith L, Lienau K, Triana CA, Siol S, Patzke GR. Preparative History vs Driving Force in Water Oxidation Catalysis: Parameter Space Studies of Cobalt Spinels. ACS OMEGA 2019; 4:15444-15456. [PMID: 31572845 PMCID: PMC6761687 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b01677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The development of efficient, stable, and economic water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) is a forefront topic of sustainable energy research. We newly present a comprehensive three-step approach to systematically investigate challenging relationships among preparative history, properties, and performance in heterogeneous WOCs. To this end, we studied (1) the influence of the preparative method on the material properties and (2) their correlation with the performance as (3) a function of the catalytic test method. Spinel-type Co3O4 was selected as a clear-cut model WOC and synthesized via nine different preparative routes. In search of the key material properties for high catalytic performance, these cobalt oxide samples were characterized with a wide range of analytical methods, including X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, BET surface area analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. Next, the corresponding catalytic water oxidation activities were assessed with the three most widely applied protocols to date, namely, photocatalytic, electrocatalytic, and chemical oxidation. The activity of the Co3O4 samples was found to clearly depend on the applied test method. Increasing surface area and disorder as well as a decrease in oxidation states arising from low synthesis temperatures were identified as key parameters for high chemical oxidation activity. Surprisingly, no obvious property-performance correlations were found for photocatalytic water oxidation. In sharp contrast, all samples showed similar activity in electrochemical water oxidation. The substantial performance differences between the applied protocols demonstrate that control and comprehensive understanding of the preparative history are crucial for establishing reliable structure-performance relationships in WOC design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Reith
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Karla Lienau
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - C. A. Triana
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Siol
- Empa—Swiss
Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Greta R. Patzke
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Abstract
The expected shortage of fossil fuels as well as the accompanying climate change are among the major challenges of the 21st century. A global shift to a sustainable energy landscape is, therefore, of utmost importance. Over the past few years, solar technologies have entered the energy market and have paved the way to replace fossil-based energy sources, in the long term. In particular, electrochemical solar-to-hydrogen technologies have attracted a lot of interest—not only in academia, but also in industry. Solar water splitting (artificial photosynthesis) is one of the most active areas in contemporary materials and catalysis research. The development of low-cost, efficient, and stable water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) remains crucial for artificial photosynthesis applications, because WOCs still represent a major economical and efficient bottleneck. In the following, we summarize recent advances in water oxidation catalysts development, with selected examples from 2016 onwards. This condensed survey demonstrates that the ongoing quest for new materials and informed catalyst design is a dynamic and rapidly developing research area.
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