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Li L, Zhang G, Zhou C, Lv F, Tan Y, Han Y, Luo H, Wang D, Liu Y, Shang C, Zeng L, Huang Q, Zeng R, Ye N, Luo M, Guo S. Lanthanide-regulating Ru-O covalency optimizes acidic oxygen evolution electrocatalysis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4974. [PMID: 38862507 PMCID: PMC11166638 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49281-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Precisely modulating the Ru-O covalency in RuOx for enhanced stability in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis is highly desired. However, transition metals with d-valence electrons, which were doped into or alloyed with RuOx, are inherently susceptible to the influence of coordination environment, making it challenging to modulate the Ru-O covalency in a precise and continuous manner. Here, we first deduce that the introduction of lanthanide with gradually changing electronic configurations can continuously modulate the Ru-O covalency owing to the shielding effect of 5s/5p orbitals. Theoretical calculations confirm that the durability of Ln-RuOx following a volcanic trend as a function of Ru-O covalency. Among various Ln-RuOx, Er-RuOx is identified as the optimal catalyst and possesses a stability 35.5 times higher than that of RuO2. Particularly, the Er-RuOx-based device requires only 1.837 V to reach 3 A cm-2 and shows a long-term stability at 500 mA cm-2 for 100 h with a degradation rate of mere 37 μV h-1.
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Grants
- S.J.G. acknowledge the fundings from National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (No. 52025133), National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2022YFE0128500), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52261135633, 52303363, 52302207, 22205010, 22305010, 22309004, 22105007), China National Petroleum Corporation-Peking University Strategic Cooperation Project of Fundamental Research, the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (No. Z220020), New Cornerstone Science Foundation through the XPLORER PRIZE, CNPC Innovation Found (No. 2021DQ02-1002), China National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents (No. BX20220009), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Nos. 2022M720225, 2023M730029, 2022M710187, 2023M730051, 2020M670018) and Yunnan Fundamental Research Projects (grant NO. 202401AT070370).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Li
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Gengwei Zhang
- Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Chenhui Zhou
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Fan Lv
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yingjun Tan
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Han
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Heng Luo
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Dawei Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Youxing Liu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Changshuai Shang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Lingyou Zeng
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Qizheng Huang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ruijin Zeng
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Na Ye
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Mingchuan Luo
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Shaojun Guo
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China.
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2
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Sun P, Qiao Z, Dong X, Jiang R, Hu ZT, Yun J, Cao D. Designing 3d Transition Metal Cation-Doped MRuO x As Durable Acidic Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts for PEM Water Electrolyzers. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:15515-15524. [PMID: 38785086 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c04096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The continuous dissolution and oxidation of active sites in Ru-based electrocatalysts have greatly hindered their practical application in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE). In this work, we first used density functional theory (DFT) to calculate the dissolution energy of Ru in the 3d transition metal-doped MRuOx (M = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) to evaluate their stability for acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and screen out ZnRuOx as the best candidate. To confirm the theoretical predictions, we experimentally synthesized these MRuOx materials and found that ZnRuOx indeed displays robust acidic OER stability with a negligible decay of η10 after 15 000 CV cycles. Of importance, using ZnRuOx as the anode, the PEMWE can run stably for 120 h at 200 mA cm-2. We also further uncover the stability mechanism of ZnRuOx, i.e., Zn atoms doped in the outside of ZnRuOx nanocrystal would form a "Zn-rich" shell, which effectively shortened average Ru-O bond lengths in ZnRuOx to strengthen the Ru-O interaction and therefore boosted intrinsic stability of ZnRuOx in acidic OER. In short, this work not only provides a new study paradigm of using DFT calculations to guide the experimental synthesis but also offers a proof-of-concept with 3d metal dopants as RuO2 stabilizer as a universal principle to develop high-durability Ru-based catalysts for PEMWE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panpan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Zelong Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Xiaobin Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Run Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Zhong-Ting Hu
- Institute of Environmental-Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, PR China
| | - Jimmy Yun
- Qingdao International Academician Park Research Institute, Qingdao 266000, PR China
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Dapeng Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, PR China
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3
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Qin R, Chen G, Feng X, Weng J, Han Y. Ru/Ir-Based Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Acidic Conditions: From Mechanisms, Optimizations to Challenges. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2309364. [PMID: 38501896 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202309364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
The generation of green hydrogen by water splitting is identified as a key strategic energy technology, and proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is one of the desirable technologies for converting renewable energy sources into hydrogen. However, the harsh anode environment of PEMWE and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) involving four-electron transfer result in a large overpotential, which limits the overall efficiency of hydrogen production, and thus efficient electrocatalysts are needed to overcome the high overpotential and slow kinetic process. In recent years, noble metal-based electrocatalysts (e.g., Ru/Ir-based metal/oxide electrocatalysts) have received much attention due to their unique catalytic properties, and have already become the dominant electrocatalysts for the acidic OER process and are applied in commercial PEMWE devices. However, these noble metal-based electrocatalysts still face the thorny problem of conflicting performance and cost. In this review, first, noble metal Ru/Ir-based OER electrocatalysts are briefly classified according to their forms of existence, and the OER catalytic mechanisms are outlined. Then, the focus is on summarizing the improvement strategies of Ru/Ir-based OER electrocatalysts with respect to their activity and stability over recent years. Finally, the challenges and development prospects of noble metal-based OER electrocatalysts are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Qin
- Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE), Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University, Frontiers Science Center for Flexible Electronics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710129, China
| | - Guanzhen Chen
- Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE), Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University, Frontiers Science Center for Flexible Electronics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710129, China
| | - Xueting Feng
- Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE), Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University, Frontiers Science Center for Flexible Electronics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710129, China
| | - Jiena Weng
- Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE), Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University, Frontiers Science Center for Flexible Electronics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710129, China
| | - Yunhu Han
- Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE), Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University, Frontiers Science Center for Flexible Electronics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710129, China
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4
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Chen J, Ma Y, Huang T, Jiang T, Park S, Xu J, Wang X, Peng Q, Liu S, Wang G, Chen W. Ruthenium-Based Binary Alloy with Oxide Nanosheath for Highly Efficient and Stable Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Acidic Media. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2312369. [PMID: 38581648 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202312369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Traditional noble metal oxide, such as RuO2, is considered a benchmark catalyst for acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, its practical application is limited due to sluggish activity and severe electrochemical corrosion. In this study, Ru-Fe nanoparticles loading on carbon felt (RuFe@CF) is synthesized via an ultrafast Joule heating method as an active and durable OER catalyst in acidic conditions. Remarkably low overpotentials of 188 and 269 mV are achieved at 10 and 100 mA cm-2, respectively, with a robust stability up to 620 h at 10 mA cm-2. When used as an anode in a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer, the catalyst shows more than 250 h of stability at a water-splitting current of 200 mA cm-2. Experimental characterizations reveal the presence of a Ru-based oxide nanosheath on the surface of the catalyst during OER tests, suggesting a surface reconstruction process that enhances the intrinsic activity and inhibits continuous metal dissolution. Moreover, density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the introduction of Fe into the RuFe@CF catalyst reduces the energy barrier and boosts its activities. This work offers an effective and universal strategy for the development of highly efficient and stable catalysts for acidic water splitting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinghao Chen
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Yirui Ma
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Tao Huang
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Taoli Jiang
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Sunhyeong Park
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Jingwen Xu
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Xiaoyang Wang
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Qia Peng
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Shuang Liu
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Gongming Wang
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
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5
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Chen Z, Yang Z, Li X, Li L, Lin H. Dopamine-modified cobalt spinel nanoparticles as an active catalyst for the acidic oxygen evolution reaction. Dalton Trans 2024; 53:9011-9020. [PMID: 38726692 DOI: 10.1039/d4dt00915k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The development of efficient non-noble metal electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) under acidic conditions remains a critical challenge. Herein, we report a N-doped carbonaceous component-engineered Co3O4 (NCEC) catalyst synthesized via the sol-gel method. Dopamine hydrochloride (DA)-derived nitrogen-doped carbonaceous components were found to boost the OER performance of Co3O4. The optimized catalyst can reach an overpotential as low as 330 mV in 1 M H2SO4 at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and maintains a good long-term stability of 60 hours. In particular, we found that the thermodynamic overpotential was inversely proportional to the content of oxidized N and pyridinic N, whereas it was directly proportional to the pyrrolic-N content. Our experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that the optimized catalyst exhibits enhanced charge transfer and the oxidized N species on Co3O4 is responsible for the high catalytic activity. Our study suggests that the performance of NCEC in acidic media can be further optimized by enhancing the content of oxidized N species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengle Chen
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China.
| | - Zhiqing Yang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China.
| | - Xinyuan Li
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China.
| | - Longhua Li
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China.
| | - Hua Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, P. R. China.
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6
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Niu HJ, Huang C, Sun T, Fang Z, Ke X, Zhang R, Ran N, Wu J, Liu J, Zhou W. Enhancing Ni/Co Activity by Neighboring Pt Atoms in NiCoP/MXene Electrocatalyst for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202401819. [PMID: 38409658 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202401819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate neighboring Pt atoms can enhance the metal activity of NiCoP for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, it remains a great challenge to link Pt and NiCoP. Herein, we introduced curvature of bowl-like structure to construct Pt/NiCoP interface by adding a minimal 1 ‰-molar-ratio Pt. The as-prepared sample only requires an overpotential of 26.5 and 181.6 mV to accordingly achieve the current density of 10 and 500 mA cm-2 in 1 M KOH. The water dissociation energy barrier (Ea) has a ~43 % decrease compared with NiCoP counterpart. It also shows an ultrahigh stability with a small degradation rate of 10.6 μV h-1 at harsh conditions (500 mA cm-2 and 50 °C) after 3000 hrs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (sXAS), and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) verify the interface electron transfer lowers the valence state of Co/Ni and activates them. DFT calculations also confirm the catalytic transition step of NiCoP can change from Heyrovsky (2.71 eV) to Tafel step (0.51 eV) in the neighborhood of Pt, in accord with the result of the improved Hads at the interface disclosed by in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua-Jie Niu
- School of Chemistry, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Chuanxue Huang
- School of Chemistry, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Tong Sun
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Instrumental Analysis Center of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, China
| | - Zhen Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Center of Hydrogen Science, Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Xiaoxing Ke
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Microstructure and Properties of Solids, Faculty of Materials and Manufacturing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Ruimin Zhang
- School of Chemistry, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Nian Ran
- State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructures, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, China
| | - Jianbo Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Center of Hydrogen Science, Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Jianjun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructures, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- School of Chemistry, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China
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7
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Chen D, Yu R, Yu K, Lu R, Zhao H, Jiao J, Yao Y, Zhu J, Wu J, Mu S. Bicontinuous RuO 2 nanoreactors for acidic water oxidation. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3928. [PMID: 38724489 PMCID: PMC11082236 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48372-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Improving activity and stability of Ruthenium (Ru)-based catalysts in acidic environments is eager to replace more expensive Iridium (Ir)-based materials as practical anode catalyst for proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs). Here, a bicontinuous nanoreactor composed of multiscale defective RuO2 nanomonomers (MD-RuO2-BN) is conceived and confirmed by three-dimensional tomograph reconstruction technology. The unique bicontinuous nanoreactor structure provides abundant active sites and rapid mass transfer capability through a cavity confinement effect. Besides, existing vacancies and grain boundaries endow MD-RuO2-BN with generous low-coordination Ru atoms and weakened Ru-O interaction, inhibiting the oxidation of lattice oxygen and dissolution of high-valence Ru. Consequently, in acidic media, the electron- and micro-structure synchronously optimized MD-RuO2-BN achieves hyper water oxidation activity (196 mV @ 10 mA cm-2) and an ultralow degradation rate of 1.2 mV h-1. A homemade PEMWE using MD-RuO2-BN as anode also conveys high water splitting performance (1.64 V @ 1 A cm-2). Theoretical calculations and in-situ Raman spectra further unveil the electronic structure of MD-RuO2-BN and the mechanism of water oxidation processes, rationalizing the enhanced performance by the synergistic effect of multiscale defects and protected active Ru sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ding Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Ruohan Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
- The Sanya Science and Education Innovation Park of Wuhan University of Technology, Sanya, 572000, China
| | - Kesong Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Ruihu Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Hongyu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jixiang Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Youtao Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jiawei Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jinsong Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
- NRC (Nanostructure Research Centre), Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Shichun Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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8
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Guo X, Wang Y, Zhu W, Zhuang Z. Design of Superior Electrocatalysts for Proton-Exchange Membrane-Water Electrolyzers: Importance of Catalyst Stability and Evolution. Chempluschem 2024; 89:e202300514. [PMID: 37986238 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202300514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
By virtue of the high energy conversion efficiency and compact facility, proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is a promising green hydrogen production technology ready for commercial applications. However, catalyst stability is a challenging but often-ignored topic for the electrocatalyst design, which retards the device applications of many newly-developed electrocatalysts. By defining catalyst stability as the function of activity versus time, we ascribe the stability issue to the evolution of catalysts or catalyst layers during the water electrolysis. We trace the instability sources of electrocatalysts as the function versus time for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acid and classify them into internal and external sources. Accordingly, we summarize the latest studies for stability improvements into five strategies, i. e., thermodynamic stable active site construction, precatalyst design, support regulation, superwetting electrode fabrication, and catalyst-ionomer interface engineering. With the help of ex-situ/ in-situ characterizations and theoretical calculations, an in-depth understanding of the instability sources benefits the rational development of highly active and stable HER/OER electrocatalysts for PEMWE applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxuan Guo
- State Key Lab of Organic-Inorganic Composites and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Yongsheng Wang
- State Key Lab of Organic-Inorganic Composites and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Wei Zhu
- State Key Lab of Organic-Inorganic Composites and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Zhongbin Zhuang
- State Key Lab of Organic-Inorganic Composites and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Environmental Catalysis, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
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9
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Pourrahmani H, Hosseini M, Moussaoui H, Oveisi E, Siavashi M, Van Herle J. Quantitative measurement and comparison of breakthroughs inside the gas diffusion layer using lattice Boltzmann method and computed tomography scan. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9621. [PMID: 38670994 PMCID: PMC11053045 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60148-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs), the presence of residual water within the Gas Diffusion Layer (GDL) poses challenges during cold starts and accelerates degradation. A computational model based on the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) was developed to consider the capillary pressure inside the PEMFC and to analyze the exact geometries of the GDLs, which were obtained using the Computed Tomography scan. The novelty of this study is to suggest a methodology to compare the quantitative water removal performance of the GDLs without long-term experimental testing. Two different samples of GDLs were considered, pristine and aged. The results of quantitative measurements revealed the amount of water columns (breakthroughs) inside each sample. Considering the volume of 12,250,000 µm3 for each sample, the pristine and the aged samples are prone to have 774,200 µm3 (6.32%) and 1,239,700 µm3 (10.12%) as water columns in their porous domain. Micro-structural properties such as connectivity, mean diameter, effective diffusivity, etc. were also compared to observe the impacts of aging on the properties of the GDL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Pourrahmani
- Group of Energy Materials, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1951, Sion, Switzerland.
| | - Milad Hosseini
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamza Moussaoui
- Group of Energy Materials, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1951, Sion, Switzerland
| | - Emad Oveisi
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron Microscopy (CIME), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Majid Siavashi
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Jan Van Herle
- Group of Energy Materials, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1951, Sion, Switzerland
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10
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Hao Y, Hung SF, Tian C, Wang L, Chen YY, Zhao S, Peng KS, Zhang C, Zhang Y, Kuo CH, Chen HY, Peng S. Polarized Ultrathin BN Induced Dynamic Electron Interactions for Enhancing Acidic Oxygen Evolution. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202402018. [PMID: 38390636 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202402018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Developing ruthenium-based heterogeneous catalysts with an efficient and stable interface is essential for enhanced acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we report a defect-rich ultrathin boron nitride nanosheet support with relatively independent electron donor and acceptor sites, which serves as an electron reservoir and receiving station for RuO2, realizing the rapid supply and reception of electrons. Through precisely controlling the reaction interface, a low OER overpotential of only 180 mV (at 10 mA cm-2) and long-term operational stability (350 h) are achieved, suggesting potential practical applications. In situ characterization and theoretical calculations have validated the existence of a localized electronic recycling between RuO2 and ultrathin BN nanosheets (BNNS). The electron-rich Ru sites accelerate the adsorption of water molecules and the dissociation of intermediates, while the interconnection between the O-terminal and B-terminal edge establishes electronic back-donation, effectively suppressing the over-oxidation of lattice oxygen. This study provides a new perspective for constructing a stable and highly active catalytic interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Hao
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
| | - Sung-Fu Hung
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan
| | - Cheng Tian
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
| | - Luqi Wang
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
| | - Yi-Yu Chen
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan
| | - Sheng Zhao
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
| | - Kang-Shun Peng
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan
| | - Chenchen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
| | - Chun-Han Kuo
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
| | - Han-Yi Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
| | - Shengjie Peng
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
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11
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He W, Tan X, Guo Y, Xiao Y, Cui H, Wang C. Grain-Boundary-Rich RuO 2 Porous Nanosheet for Efficient and Stable Acidic Water Oxidation. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024:e202405798. [PMID: 38659324 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202405798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
RuO2 has been considered as the most likely acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst to replace IrO2, but its performance, especially long-term stability under harsh acidic conditions, is still unacceptable. Here, we propose a grain boundary (GB) engineering strategy by fabricating the ultrathin porous RuO2 nanosheet with abundant of grain boundaries (GB-RuO2) as an efficient acid OER catalyst. The involvement of GB induces significant tensile stress and creates an unsaturated coordination environment, effectively optimizing the adsorption of intermediates and stabilizing active site structure during OER process. Notably, the GB-RuO2 not only exhibits a low overpotential (η10=187 mV) with an ultra-low Tafel slope (34.5 mV dec-1), but also steadily operates for over 550 h in 0.1 M HClO4. Quasi in situ/operando methods confirm that the improved stability is attributed to GB preventing Ru dissolution and greatly inhibiting the lattice oxygen oxidation mechanism (LOM). A proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) using the GB-RuO2 catalyst operates a low voltage of 1.669 V at 2 A cm-2 and operates stably for 100 h at 100 mA cm-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weidong He
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Xiaohong Tan
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Yingying Guo
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Yuhang Xiao
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Hao Cui
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Chengxin Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
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12
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Ping X, Liu Y, Zheng L, Song Y, Guo L, Chen S, Wei Z. Locking the lattice oxygen in RuO 2 to stabilize highly active Ru sites in acidic water oxidation. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2501. [PMID: 38509091 PMCID: PMC10954744 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46815-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Ruthenium dioxide is presently the most active catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acidic media but suffers from severe Ru dissolution resulting from the high covalency of Ru-O bonds triggering lattice oxygen oxidation. Here, we report an interstitial silicon-doping strategy to stabilize the highly active Ru sites of RuO2 while suppressing lattice oxygen oxidation. The representative Si-RuO2-0.1 catalyst exhibits high activity and stability in acid with a negligible degradation rate of ~52 μV h-1 in an 800 h test and an overpotential of 226 mV at 10 mA cm-2. Differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) results demonstrate that the lattice oxygen oxidation pathway of the Si-RuO2-0.1 was suppressed by ∼95% compared to that of commercial RuO2, which is highly responsible for the extraordinary stability. This work supplied a unique mentality to guide future developments on Ru-based oxide catalysts' stability in an acidic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Ping
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Power Sources (SKL-ACPS), Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yongduo Liu
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Power Sources (SKL-ACPS), Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Lixia Zheng
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Power Sources (SKL-ACPS), Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yang Song
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Power Sources (SKL-ACPS), Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Lin Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Catalytic Materials and Reaction Engineering, SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Siguo Chen
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Power Sources (SKL-ACPS), Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
| | - Zidong Wei
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Power Sources (SKL-ACPS), Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
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13
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Do VH, Lee JM. Surface engineering for stable electrocatalysis. Chem Soc Rev 2024; 53:2693-2737. [PMID: 38318782 DOI: 10.1039/d3cs00292f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
In recent decades, significant progress has been achieved in rational developments of electrocatalysts through constructing novel atomistic structures and modulating catalytic surface topography, realizing substantial enhancement in electrocatalytic activities. Numerous advanced catalysts were developed for electrochemical energy conversion, exhibiting low overpotential, high intrinsic activity, and selectivity. Yet, maintaining the high catalytic performance under working conditions with high polarization and vigorous microkinetics that induce intensive degradation of surface nanostructures presents a significant challenge for commercial applications. Recently, advanced operando and computational techniques have provided comprehensive mechanistic insights into the degradation of surficial functional structures. Additionally, various innovative strategies have been devised and proven effective in sustaining electrocatalytic activity under harsh operating conditions. This review aims to discuss the most recent understanding of the degradation microkinetics of catalysts across an entire range of anodic to cathodic polarizations, encompassing processes such as oxygen evolution and reduction, hydrogen reduction, and carbon dioxide reduction. Subsequently, innovative strategies adopted to stabilize the materials' structure and activity are highlighted with an in-depth discussion of the underlying rationale. Finally, we present conclusions and perspectives regarding future research and development. By identifying the research gaps, this review aims to inspire further exploration of surface degradation mechanisms and rational design of durable electrocatalysts, ultimately contributing to the large-scale utilization of electroconversion technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viet-Hung Do
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637459.
- Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N), Interdisciplinary Graduate School, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141
| | - Jong-Min Lee
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637459.
- Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N), Interdisciplinary Graduate School, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141
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14
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Xu Y, Mao Z, Zhang J, Ji J, Zou Y, Dong M, Fu B, Hu M, Zhang K, Chen Z, Chen S, Yin H, Liu P, Zhao H. Strain-modulated Ru-O Covalency in Ru-Sn Oxide Enabling Efficient and Stable Water Oxidation in Acidic Solution. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202316029. [PMID: 38168107 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202316029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
RuO2 is one of the benchmark electrocatalysts used as the anode material in proton exchange membrane water electrolyser. However, its long-term stability is compromised due to the participation of lattice oxygen and metal dissolution during oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this work, weakened covalency of Ru-O bond was tailored by introducing tensile strain to RuO6 octahedrons in a binary Ru-Sn oxide matrix, prohibiting the participation of lattice oxygen and the dissolution of Ru, thereby significantly improving the long-term stability. Moreover, the tensile strain also optimized the adsorption energy of intermediates and boosted the OER activity. Remarkably, the RuSnOx electrocatalyst exhibited excellent OER activity in 0.1 M HClO4 and required merely 184 mV overpotential at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 . Moreover, it delivered a current density of 10 mA cm-2 for at least 150 h with negligible potential increase. This work exemplifies an effective strategy for engineering Ru-based catalysts with extraordinary performance toward water splitting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Xu
- Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland, 4222, Australia
- Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Centre for Environmental and Energy Nanomaterials, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
| | - Zhixian Mao
- Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Centre for Environmental and Energy Nanomaterials, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Jifang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Centre for Environmental and Energy Nanomaterials, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Jiapeng Ji
- Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Centre for Environmental and Energy Nanomaterials, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
| | - Yu Zou
- Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - Mengyang Dong
- Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - Bo Fu
- Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - Mengqing Hu
- Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - Kaidi Zhang
- Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - Ziyao Chen
- Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - Shan Chen
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230039, China
| | - Huajie Yin
- Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Centre for Environmental and Energy Nanomaterials, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Porun Liu
- Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - Huijun Zhao
- Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland, 4222, Australia
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15
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Yang L, Bai J, Zhang N, Jiang Z, Wang Y, Xiao M, Liu C, Zhu S, Xu ZJ, Ge J, Xing W. Rare Earth Evoked Subsurface Oxygen Species in Platinum Alloy Catalysts Enable Durable Fuel Cells. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202315119. [PMID: 38129317 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202315119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Alleviating the degradation issue of Pt based alloy catalysts, thereby simultaneously achieving high mass activity and high durability in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), is highly challenging. Herein, we provide a new paradigm to address this issue via delaying the place exchange between adsorbed oxygen species and surface Pt atoms, thereby inhibiting Pt dissolution, through introducing rare earth bonded subsurface oxygen atoms. We have succeeded in introducing Gd-O dipoles into Pt3 Ni via a high temperature entropy-driven process, with direct spectral evidence attained from both soft and hard X-ray absorption spectroscopies. The higher rated power of 0.93 W cm-2 and superior current density of 562.2 mA cm-2 at 0.8 V than DOE target for heavy-duty vehicles in H2 -air mode suggest the great potential of Gd-O-Pt3 Ni towards practical application in heavy-duty transportation. Moreover, the mass activity retention (1.04 A mgPt -1 ) after 40 k cycles accelerated durability tests is even 2.4 times of the initial mass activity goal for DOE 2025 (0.44 A mgPt -1 ), due to the weakened Pt-Oads bond interaction and the delayed place exchange process, via repulsive forces between surface O atoms and those in the sublayer. This work addresses the critical roadblocks to the widespread adoption of PEMFCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liting Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Laboratory of Advanced Power Sources, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China
| | - Jingsen Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Laboratory of Advanced Power Sources, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China
| | - Nanshu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Laboratory of Advanced Power Sources, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China
| | - Zheng Jiang
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China
- Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Zhangjiang National Laboratory, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 201204, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China
| | - Meiling Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Laboratory of Advanced Power Sources, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China
| | - Changpeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Laboratory of Advanced Power Sources, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China
| | - Siyuan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Laboratory of Advanced Power Sources, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 639798, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zhichuan J Xu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 639798, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Junjie Ge
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China
| | - Wei Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Laboratory of Advanced Power Sources, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130022, Changchun, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China
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16
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Wu J, Qiu Z, Zhang J, Song H, Cui Z, Du L. Stabilizing Highly Active Ru Sites by Electron Reservoir in Acidic Oxygen Evolution. Molecules 2024; 29:785. [PMID: 38398537 PMCID: PMC10892467 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29040785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis is hindered by the sluggish kinetics of the anodic oxygen evolution reaction. RuO2 is regarded as a promising alternative to IrO2 for the anode catalyst of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers due to its superior activity and relatively lower cost compared to IrO2. However, the dissolution of Ru induced by its overoxidation under acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) conditions greatly hinders its durability. Herein, we developed a strategy for stabilizing RuO2 in acidic OER by the incorporation of high-valence metals with suitable ionic electronegativity. A molten salt method was employed to synthesize a series of high-valence metal-substituted RuO2 with large specific surface areas. The experimental results revealed that a high content of surface Ru4+ species promoted the OER intrinsic activity of high-valence doped RuO2. It was found that there was a linear relationship between the ratio of surface Ru4+/Ru3+ species and the ionic electronegativity of the dopant metals. By regulating the ratio of surface Ru4+/Ru3+ species, incorporating Re, with the highest ionic electronegativity, endowed Re0.1Ru0.9O2 with exceptional OER activity, exhibiting a low overpotential of 199 mV to reach 10 mA cm-2. More importantly, Re0.1Ru0.9O2 demonstrated outstanding stability at both 10 mA cm-2 (over 300 h) and 100 mA cm-2 (over 25 h). The characterization of post-stability Re0.1Ru0.9O2 revealed that Re promoted electron transfer to Ru, serving as an electron reservoir to mitigate excessive oxidation of Ru sites during the OER process and thus enhancing OER stability. We conclude that Re, with the highest ionic electronegativity, attracted a mass of electrons from Ru in the pre-catalyst and replenished electrons to Ru under the operating potential. This work spotlights an effective strategy for stabilizing cost-effective Ru-based catalysts for acidic OER.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jiaxi Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fuel Cell Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China; (J.W.); (Z.Q.); (H.S.); (Z.C.)
| | | | | | - Li Du
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fuel Cell Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China; (J.W.); (Z.Q.); (H.S.); (Z.C.)
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17
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Fan RY, Zhang YS, Lv JY, Han GQ, Chai YM, Dong B. The Promising Seesaw Relationship Between Activity and Stability of Ru-Based Electrocatalysts for Acid Oxygen Evolution and Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2304636. [PMID: 37789503 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202304636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
The development of electrocatalysts that are not reliant on iridium for efficient acid-oxygen evolution is a critical step towards the proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) and green hydrogen industry. Ruthenium-based electrocatalysts have garnered widespread attention due to their remarkable catalytic activity and lower commercial price. However, the challenge lies in balancing the seesaw relationship between activity and stability of these electrocatalysts during the acid-oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This review delves into the progress made in Ru-based electrocatalysts with regards to acid OER and PEMWE applications. It highlights the significance of customizing the acidic OER mechanism of Ru-based electrocatalysts through the coordination of adsorption evolution mechanism (AEM) and lattice oxygen oxidation mechanism (LOM) to attain the ideal activity and stability relationship. The promising tradeoffs between the activity and stability of different Ru-based electrocatalysts, including Ru metals and alloys, Ru single-atomic materials, Ru oxides, and derived complexes, and Ru-based heterojunctions, as well as their applicability to PEMWE systems, are discussed in detail. Furthermore, this paper offers insights on in situ control of Ru active sites, dynamic catalytic mechanism, and commercial application of PEMWE. Based on three-way relationship between cost, activity, and stability, the perspectives and development are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruo-Yao Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, 266580, P. R. China
| | - Yu-Sheng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, 266580, P. R. China
| | - Jing-Yi Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, 266580, P. R. China
| | - Guan-Qun Han
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45221, USA
| | - Yong-Ming Chai
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, 266580, P. R. China
| | - Bin Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, 266580, P. R. China
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18
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Bai J, Zhou W, Xu J, Zhou P, Deng Y, Xiang M, Xiang D, Su Y. RuO 2 Catalysts for Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution in Acidic Media: Mechanism, Activity Promotion Strategy and Research Progress. Molecules 2024; 29:537. [PMID: 38276614 PMCID: PMC10819928 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29020537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis (PEMWE) under acidic conditions outperforms alkaline water electrolysis in terms of less resistance loss, higher current density, and higher produced hydrogen purity, which make it more economical in long-term applications. However, the efficiency of PEMWE is severely limited by the slow kinetics of anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), poor catalyst stability, and high cost. Therefore, researchers in the past decade have made great efforts to explore cheap, efficient, and stable electrode materials. Among them, the RuO2 electrocatalyst has been proved to be a major promising alternative to Ir-based catalysts and the most promising OER catalyst owing to its excellent electrocatalytic activity and high pH adaptability. In this review, we elaborate two reaction mechanisms of OER (lattice oxygen mechanism and adsorbate evolution mechanism), comprehensively summarize and discuss the recently reported RuO2-based OER electrocatalysts under acidic conditions, and propose many advanced modification strategies to further improve the activity and stability of RuO2-based electrocatalytic OER. Finally, we provide suggestions for overcoming the challenges faced by RuO2 electrocatalysts in practical applications and make prospects for future research. This review provides perspectives and guidance for the rational design of highly active and stable acidic OER electrocatalysts based on PEMWE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jirong Bai
- Research Center of Secondary Resources and Environment, School of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou 213022, China; (J.B.); (P.Z.); (Y.D.); (M.X.)
| | - Wangkai Zhou
- School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou 213001, China; (W.Z.); (J.X.)
| | - Jinnan Xu
- School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou 213001, China; (W.Z.); (J.X.)
| | - Pin Zhou
- Research Center of Secondary Resources and Environment, School of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou 213022, China; (J.B.); (P.Z.); (Y.D.); (M.X.)
| | - Yaoyao Deng
- Research Center of Secondary Resources and Environment, School of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou 213022, China; (J.B.); (P.Z.); (Y.D.); (M.X.)
| | - Mei Xiang
- Research Center of Secondary Resources and Environment, School of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou 213022, China; (J.B.); (P.Z.); (Y.D.); (M.X.)
| | - Dongsheng Xiang
- School of Medicine and Health, Yancheng Polytechnic College, Yancheng 224005, China
| | - Yaqiong Su
- School of Chemistry, Engineering Research Center of Energy Storage Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
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19
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Kumar Samuel A, Faqeeh AH, Li W, Ertekin Z, Wang Y, Zhang J, Gadegaard N, Moran DAJ, Symes MD, Ganin AY. Assessing Challenges of 2D-Molybdenum Ditelluride for Efficient Hydrogen Generation in a Full-Scale Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Water Electrolyzer. ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING 2024; 12:1276-1285. [PMID: 38273988 PMCID: PMC10806992 DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c06616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzers are critical enablers for sustainable green hydrogen production due to their high efficiency. However, nonplatinum catalysts are rarely evaluated under actual electrolyzer operating conditions, limiting knowledge of their feasibility for H2 production at scale. In this work, metallic 1T'-MoTe2 films were synthesized on carbon cloth supports via chemical vapor deposition and tested as cathodes in PEM electrolysis. Initial three-electrode tests revealed that at 100 mA cm-2, the overpotential of 1T'-MoTe2 approached that of leading 1T'-MoS2 systems, confirming its promise as a hydrogen evolution catalyst. However, when tested in a full-scale PEM electrolyzer, 1T'-MoTe2 delivered only 150 mA cm-2 at 2 V, far below expectations. Postelectrolysis analysis revealed an unexpected passivating tellurium layer, likely inhibiting catalytic sites. While initially promising, the unanticipated passivation caused 1T'-MoTe2 to underperform in practice. This highlights the critical need to evaluate emerging electrolyzer catalysts in PEM electrolyzers, revealing limitations of the idealized three-electrode configuration. Moving forward, validation of model systems in actual electrolyzers will be key to identifying robust nonplatinum catalysts for sustainable green hydrogen production.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Abdulhai H. Faqeeh
- School
of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, U.K.
- Department
of Chemistry, King Khalid University, Guraiger, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia
| | - Weihao Li
- School
of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, U.K.
| | - Zeliha Ertekin
- School
of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, U.K.
| | - Yuanshen Wang
- School
of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, U.K.
| | - Jingyi Zhang
- School
of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8LT, U.K.
| | | | | | - Mark D. Symes
- School
of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, U.K.
| | - Alexey Y. Ganin
- School
of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, U.K.
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20
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Wang Y, Lei X, Zhang B, Bai B, Das P, Azam T, Xiao J, Wu ZS. Breaking the Ru-O-Ru Symmetry of a RuO 2 Catalyst for Sustainable Acidic Water Oxidation. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202316903. [PMID: 37997556 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202316903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis is a highly promising hydrogen production technique for sustainable energy supply, however, achieving a highly active and durable catalyst for acidic water oxidation still remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we propose a local microenvironment regulation strategy for precisely tuning In-RuO2 /graphene (In-RuO2 /G) catalyst with intrinsic electrochemical activity and stability to boost acidic water oxidation. The In-RuO2 /G displays robust acid oxygen evolution reaction performance with a mass activity of 671 A gcat -1 at 1.5 V, an overpotential of 187 mV at 10 mA cm-2 , and long-lasting stability of 350 h at 100 mA cm-2 , which arises from the asymmetric Ru-O-In local structure interactions. Further, it is unraveled theoretically that the asymmetric Ru-O-In structure breaks the thermodynamic activity limit of the traditional adsorption evolution mechanism which significantly weakens the formation energy barrier of OOH*, thus inducing a new rate-determining step of OH* absorption. Therefore, this strategy showcases the immense potential for constructing high-performance acidic catalysts for water electrolyzers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Xue Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, P. R. China
| | - Bo Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Applied Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, P. R. China
| | - Bing Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Pratteek Das
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, P. R. China
| | - Tasmia Azam
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Jianping Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Zhong-Shuai Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, P. R. China
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21
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Sun Y, Fan W, Li Y, Sui NLD, Zhu Z, Zhou Y, Lee JM. Tuning Coordination Structures of Zn Sites Through Symmetry-Breaking Accelerates Electrocatalysis. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2306687. [PMID: 37649133 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202306687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Manipulating the coordination environment of individual active sites in a precise manner remains an important challenge in electrocatalytic reactions. Herein, inspired by theoretical predictions, a facile procedure to synthesize a series of symmetry-breaking zinc metal-organic framework (Zn-MOF) catalysts with well-defined structures is presented. Benefiting from the optimized coordination microenvironment regulated by symmetry-breaking, Zn-N2 S2 -MOF exhibits the best performance of nitrogen (N2 ) reduction reaction (NRR) with NH3 yield rate of 25.07 ± 1.57 µg h-1 cm-2 and Faradaic efficiency of 44.57 ± 2.79% compared with reported Zn-based NRR catalysts. X-ray absorption near-edge structure shows that the symmetry-breaking distorts the coordination environment and modulates the delocalized electrons around the Zn sites, which favors the formation of unpaired low-valence Znδ+ , thereby facilitating the adsorption/activation of N2 . Theoretical calculations elucidate that low-valence Znδ+ in Zn-N2 S2 -MOF can effectively lower the energy barrier of potential determining step, promoting the kinetics and boosting the NRR activity. This work highlights the relationship between the precise coordination environment of metal sites and the catalytic activity, which offers insightful guidance for rationally designing high-efficiency electrocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuntong Sun
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637459, Singapore
| | - Wenjun Fan
- Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, iChEM, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Yinghao Li
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637459, Singapore
| | - Nicole L D Sui
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637459, Singapore
- Environmental Chemistry and Materials Centre, Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Interdisciplinary Graduate Programme, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637141, Singapore
| | - Zhouhao Zhu
- National Engineering Research Center for Marine Aquaculture, Marine Science and Technology College, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, 316004, China
| | - Yingtang Zhou
- National Engineering Research Center for Marine Aquaculture, Marine Science and Technology College, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, 316004, China
| | - Jong-Min Lee
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637459, Singapore
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22
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Deng L, Hung SF, Lin ZY, Zhang Y, Zhang C, Hao Y, Liu S, Kuo CH, Chen HY, Peng J, Wang J, Peng S. Valence Oscillation of Ru Active Sites for Efficient and Robust Acidic Water Oxidation. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2305939. [PMID: 37671910 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202305939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
The continuous oxidation and leachability of active sites in Ru-based catalysts hinder practical application in proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE). Herein, robust inter-doped tungsten-ruthenium oxide heterostructures [(Ru-W)Ox ] fabricated by sequential rapid oxidation and metal thermomigration processes are proposed to enhance the activity and stability of acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The introduction of high-valent W species induces the valence oscillation of the Ru sites during OER, facilitating the cyclic transition of the active metal oxidation states and maintaining the continuous operation of the active sites. The preferential oxidation of W species and electronic gain of Ru sites in the inter-doped heterostructure significantly stabilize RuOx on WOx substrates beyond the Pourbaix stability limit of bare RuO2 . Furthermore, the asymmetric Ru-O-W active units are generated around the heterostructure interface to adsorb the oxygen intermediates synergistically, enhancing the intrinsic OER activity. Consequently, the inter-doped (Ru-W)Ox heterostructures not only demonstrate an overpotential of 170 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and excellent stability of 300 h in acidic electrolytes but also exhibit the potential for practical applications, as evidenced by the stable operation at 0.5 A cm-2 for 300 h in PEMWE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liming Deng
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
| | - Sung-Fu Hung
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan
| | - Zih-Yi Lin
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan
| | - Ying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
| | - Chenchen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
| | - Yixin Hao
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
| | - Shuyi Liu
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
| | - Chun-Han Kuo
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
| | - Han-Yi Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
| | - Jian Peng
- Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials Australian Institute for Innovative Materials, University of Wollongong Innovation Campus, Squires Way, North Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia
| | - Jiazhao Wang
- Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials Australian Institute for Innovative Materials, University of Wollongong Innovation Campus, Squires Way, North Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia
| | - Shengjie Peng
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
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23
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Akbari N, Nandy S, Chae KH, Najafpour MM. Unveiling the Oxygen Evolution Mechanism with FeNi (Hydr)oxide under Neutral Conditions. Inorg Chem 2023; 62:15766-15776. [PMID: 37700523 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c02690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Large-scale solar-driven water splitting is a way to store energy, but it requires the development of practical and durable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts. The present paper aims to investigate the mechanism of the OER, local pH, high-valent metal ions, limitations, conversions, and details during the OER in the presence of FeNi foam using in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. This research also explores the use of in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for detecting species on foam surfaces during the OER. The acidic media around the electrode not only limit the process but also affect the phosphate ion protonation and overall catalysis effectiveness. The study proposes that FeNi hydroxides serve as true catalysts for OER under neutral conditions, rather than FeNi phosphates. However, phosphate species remain crucial for proton transfer and water molecule adsorption. Changes observed in pH at the open-circuit potential suggest new insights concerning the coordination of Ni(II) to phosphate ions under certain conditions. By extrapolating the Tafel plot, the overpotential for the onset of OER was determined to be 470 mV. Furthermore, the overpotentials for current densities of 1 and 5 mA/cm2 were 590 and 790 mV, respectively. These findings offer valuable insights into the advancement of the OER catalysts and our understanding of the underlying mechanism for efficient water splitting; both are crucial elements for the purpose of energy storage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nader Akbari
- Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), Zanjan 45137-66731, Iran
| | - Subhajit Nandy
- Advanced Analysis Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Keun Hwa Chae
- Advanced Analysis Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Mohammad Mahdi Najafpour
- Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), Zanjan 45137-66731, Iran
- Center of Climate Change and Global Warming, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), Zanjan 45137-66731, Iran
- Research Center for Basic Sciences & Modern Technologies (RBST), Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), Zanjan 45137-66731, Iran
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24
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Zhu W, Song X, Liao F, Huang H, Shao Q, Feng K, Zhou Y, Ma M, Wu J, Yang H, Yang H, Wang M, Shi J, Zhong J, Cheng T, Shao M, Liu Y, Kang Z. Stable and oxidative charged Ru enhance the acidic oxygen evolution reaction activity in two-dimensional ruthenium-iridium oxide. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5365. [PMID: 37666815 PMCID: PMC10477217 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41036-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The oxygen evolution reactions in acid play an important role in multiple energy storage devices. The practical promising Ru-Ir based catalysts need both the stable high oxidation state of the Ru centers and the high stability of these Ru species. Here, we report stable and oxidative charged Ru in two-dimensional ruthenium-iridium oxide enhances the activity. The Ru0.5Ir0.5O2 catalyst shows high activity in acid with a low overpotential of 151 mV at 10 mA cm-2, a high turnover frequency of 6.84 s-1 at 1.44 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode and good stability (618.3 h operation). Ru0.5Ir0.5O2 catalysts can form more Ru active sites with high oxidation states at lower applied voltages after Ir incorporation, which is confirmed by the pulse voltage induced current method. Also, The X-ray absorption spectroscopy data shows that the Ru-O-Ir local structure in two-dimensional Ru0.5Ir0.5O2 solid solution improved the stability of these Ru centers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxiang Zhu
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiangcong Song
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Fan Liao
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hui Huang
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qi Shao
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Jiangsu, 215123, China
| | - Kun Feng
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yunjie Zhou
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Mengjie Ma
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jie Wu
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hao Yang
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Haiwei Yang
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Meng Wang
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jie Shi
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jun Zhong
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Tao Cheng
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Mingwang Shao
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Yang Liu
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Zhenhui Kang
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China.
- Macao Institute of Materials Science and Engineering (MIMSE), MUST-SUDA Joint Research Center for Advanced Functional Materials, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, 999078, Macao, China.
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25
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Zhu W, Yao F, Cheng K, Zhao M, Yang CJ, Dong CL, Hong Q, Jiang Q, Wang Z, Liang H. Direct Dioxygen Radical Coupling Driven by Octahedral Ruthenium-Oxygen-Cobalt Collaborative Coordination for Acidic Oxygen Evolution Reaction. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:17995-18006. [PMID: 37550082 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c05556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
The acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has long been the bottleneck of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers given its harsh oxidative and corrosive environments. Herein, we suggest an effective strategy to greatly enhance both the acidic OER activity and stability of Co3O4 spinel by atomic Ru selective substitution on the octahedral Co sites. The resulting highly symmetrical octahedral Ru-O-Co collaborative coordination with strong electron coupling effect enables the direct dioxygen radical coupling OER pathway. Indeed, both experiments and theoretical calculations reveal a thermodynamically breakthrough heterogeneous diatomic oxygen mechanism. Additionally, the active Ru-O-Co units are well-maintained upon the acidic OER thanks to the electron transfer from surrounding electron-enriched tetrahedral Co atoms via bridging oxygen bonds that suppresses the overoxidation and thus dissolution of active Ru and Co species. Consequently, the prepared catalyst, even with a low Ru mass loading of ca. 42.8 μg cm-2, exhibits an attractive acidic OER performance with a low overpotential of 200 mV and a low potential decay rate of 0.45 mV h-1 at 10 mA cm-2. Our work suggests an effective strategy to significantly enhance both the acidic OER activity and stability of low-cost electrocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weijie Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Fen Yao
- Key Laboratory of Preparation and Applications of Environmentally Friendly Material of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Jilin Normal University, Changchun 130103, China
| | - Kangjuan Cheng
- School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Mengting Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Cheng-Jie Yang
- Department of Physics, Tamkang University, New Taipei City 25137, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Li Dong
- Department of Physics, Tamkang University, New Taipei City 25137, Taiwan
| | - Qiming Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Qiu Jiang
- School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Zhoucheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Hanfeng Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
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26
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Zhao S, Hu F, Yin L, Li L, Peng S. Manipulating electron redistribution induced by asymmetric coordination for electrocatalytic water oxidation at a high current density. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2023:S2095-9273(23)00369-9. [PMID: 37331904 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Electronic structure manipulation with regard to active site coordination is an effective strategy to improve the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity. Herein, we present the structure-activity relationship between oxygen-atom-mediated electron rearrangement and active site coordination asymmetry. Ni2+ ions are introduced to FeWO4 on Ni foam (NF) via self-substitution to break the symmetry of the FeO6 octahedron and regulate d-electron structure of Fe sites. Structural regulation optimizes the adsorption energy of hydroxyl on the Fe sites and promotes the partial formation of hydroxyl oxide with high OER activity on the tungstate surface. Fe0.53Ni0.47WO4/NF with the asymmetric FeO6 octahedron of Fe sites can achieve an ultralow overpotential of 170 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and 240 mV at 1000 mA cm-2 with robust stability for 500 h at high current density under alkaline conditions. This research develops novel electrocatalysts with impressive OER performance and provides new insights into the design of highly active catalytic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Zhao
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Feng Hu
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Lijie Yin
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Linlin Li
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Shengjie Peng
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
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27
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Deng L, Liu S, Liu D, Chang YM, Li L, Li C, Sun Y, Hu F, Chen HY, Pan H, Peng S. Activity-Stability Balance: The Role of Electron Supply Effect of Support in Acidic Oxygen Evolution. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023:e2302238. [PMID: 37191328 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202302238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Developing efficient and durable electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers represents a significant challenge. Herein, the cobalt-ruthenium oxide nano-heterostructures are successfully synthesized on carbon cloth (CoOx /RuOx -CC) for acidic OER through a simple and fast solution combustion strategy. The rapid oxidation process endows CoOx /RuOx -CC with abundant interfacial sites and defect structures, which enhances the number of active sites and the charge transfer at the electrolyte-catalyst interface, promoting the OER kinetics. Moreover, the electron supply effect of the CoOx support allows electrons to transfer from Co to Ru sites during the OER process, which is beneficial to alleviate the ion leaching and over-oxidation of Ru sites, improving the catalyst activity and stability. As a self-supported electrocatalyst, CoOx /RuOx -CC displays an ultralow overpotential of 180 mV at 10 mA cm-2 for OER. Notably, the PEM electrolyzer using CoOx /RuOx -CC as the anode can be operated at 100 mA cm-2 stably for 100 h. Mechanistic analysis shows that the strong catalyst-support interaction is beneficial to redistribute the electronic structure of RuO bond to weaken its covalency, thereby optimizing the binding energy of OER intermediates and lowering the reaction energy barrier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liming Deng
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
| | - Shuyi Liu
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
| | - Di Liu
- Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, University of Macau, Zhuhai, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Yu-Ming Chang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
| | - Linlin Li
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
| | - Chunsheng Li
- School of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Electrode Materials for Novel Solar Cells for Petroleum and Chemical Industry of China, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Yan Sun
- School of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Electrode Materials for Novel Solar Cells for Petroleum and Chemical Industry of China, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Feng Hu
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
| | - Han-Yi Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
| | - Hui Pan
- Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, University of Macau, Zhuhai, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Shengjie Peng
- College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China
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