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Graves LS, Sarkar R, Baker J, Lao KU, Arachchige IU. Structure- and Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of Hexagonal Ni 2-x Zn x P Nanocrystals and Their Composition-Dependent Electrocatalytic Activity for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction. ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS 2024; 7:5679-5690. [PMID: 39055071 PMCID: PMC11267498 DOI: 10.1021/acsaem.4c00539] [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: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Nickel phosphides are an emerging class of earth-abundant catalysts for hydrogen generation through water electrolysis. However, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity of Ni2P is lower than that of benchmark Pt group catalysts. To address this limitation, an integrated theoretical and experimental study was performed to enhance the HER activity and stability of hexagonal Ni2P through doping with synergistic transition metals. Among the nine dopants computationally studied, zinc emerged as an ideal candidate due to its ability to modulate the hydrogen binding free energy (ΔG H) closer to a thermoneutral value. Consequently, phase pure hexagonal Ni2-x Zn x P nanocrystals (NCs) with a solid spherical morphology, variable compositions (x = 0-17.14%), and size in the range of 6.8 ± 1.1-9.1 ± 1.1 nm were colloidally synthesized to investigate the HER activity and stability in alkaline electrolytes. As predicted, the HER performance was observed to be composition-dependent with Zn compositions (x) of 0.03, 0.07, and 0.15 demonstrating superior activity with overpotentials (η-10) of 188.67, 170.01, and 135.35 mV, respectively at a current density of -10 mA/cm2, in comparison to Ni2P NCs (216.2 ± 4.4 mV). Conversely, Ni2-x Zn x P NCs with x = 0.01, 0.38, 0.44, and 0.50 compositions showed a notable decrease in HER activity, with corresponding η-10 of 225.3 ± 3.2, 269.9 ± 4.3, 276.4 ± 3.7 and 263.9 ± 4.9 mV, respectively. The highest HER active catalyst was determined to be Ni1.85Zn0.15P NCs, featuring a Zn concentration of 5.24%, consistent with composition-dependent ΔG H calculations. The highest performing Ni1.85Zn0.15P NCs displayed a Heyrovsky HER mechanism, enhanced kinetics and electrochemically active surface area (ECSA), and superior corrosion tolerance with a negligible increase of η-10 after 10 h of continuous HER. This study provides critical insights into enhancing the performance of metal phosphides through doping-induced electronic structure variation, paving the way for the design of high-efficiency and durable nanostructures for heterogeneous catalytic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jordon Baker
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2006, United States
| | - Ka Un Lao
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2006, United States
| | - Indika U. Arachchige
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2006, United States
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Ahlstedt O, Akola J. Hydrogen evolution descriptors of 55-atom PtNi nanoclusters and interaction with graphite. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2024; 36:325001. [PMID: 38670082 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/ad4432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Density functional simulations have been performed for PtnNi55-nclusters (n=0,12,20,28,42,55) to investigate their catalytic properties for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Starting from the icosahedralPt12Ni43, hydrogen adsorption energetics and electronicd-band descriptors indicate HER activity comparable to that of purePt55(distorted reduced core structure). The PtNi clusters accommodate a large number of adsorbed hydrogen before reaching a saturated coverage, corresponding to 3-4 H atoms per icosahedron facet (in total ∼70-80). The differential adsorption free energies are well within the window of|ΔGH|<0.1 eV which is considered optimal for HER. The electronic descriptors show similarities with the platinumd-band, although the uncovered PtNi clusters are magnetic. Increasing hydrogen coverage suppresses magnetism and depletes electron density, resulting in expansion of the PtNi clusters. For a single H atom, the adsorption free energy varies between -0.32 (Pt12Ni43) and -0.59 eV (Pt55). The most stable adsorption site is Pt-Pt bridge for Pt-rich compositions and a hollow site surrounded by three Ni for Pt-poor compositions. A hydrogen molecule dissociates spontaneously on the Pt-rich clusters. The above HER activity predictions can be extended to PtNi on carbon support as the interaction with a graphite model structure (w/o vacancy defect) results in minor changes in the cluster properties only. The cluster-surface interaction is the strongest forPt55due to its large facing facet and associated van der Waals forces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olli Ahlstedt
- Computational Physics Laboratory, Tampere University, PO Box 692, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
| | - Jaakko Akola
- Computational Physics Laboratory, Tampere University, PO Box 692, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
- Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
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Kuo DY, Nishiwaki E, Rivera-Maldonado RA, Cossairt BM. The Role of Hydrogen Adsorption Site Diversity in Catalysis on Transition-Metal Phosphide Surfaces. ACS Catal 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.2c04936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ding-Yuan Kuo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Emily Nishiwaki
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | | | - Brandi M. Cossairt
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
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Partanen L, Alberti S, Laasonen K. Hydrogen adsorption trends on two metal-doped Ni 2P surfaces for optimal catalyst design. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:11538-11547. [PMID: 33969865 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp00684c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we looked at the hydrogen evolution reaction on the doubly doped Ni3P2 terminated Ni2P surface. Two Ni atoms in the first three layers of the Ni2P surface model were exchanged with two transition metal atoms. We limited our investigation to combinations of Al, Co, and Fe based on their individual effectiveness as Ni2P dopants in our previous computational studies. The DFT calculated hydrogen adsorption free energy was employed as a predictor of the materials' catalytic HER activity. Our results indicate that the combination of Co and Fe dopants most improves the catalytic activity of the surface through the creation of multiple novel and active catalytic sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauri Partanen
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland.
| | - Simon Alberti
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland.
| | - Kari Laasonen
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland.
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Yang D, Su Z, Chen Y, Srinivas K, Gao J, Zhang W, Wang Z, Lin H. Electronic Modulation of Hierarchical Spongy Nanosheets toward Efficient and Stable Water Electrolysis. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2021; 17:e2006881. [PMID: 33373091 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202006881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The energy conversion efficiency of water electrolysis is determined by the activity of selected catalysts. Ideal catalysts should possess not only porous architecture for high-density assembly of active sites but also a subtle electronic configuration for the optimized activity at each site. In this context, the development of stable porous hosting materials that allow the incorporation of various metal elements is highly desirable for both experimental optimization and theoretical comparison/prediction. Herein, MOF-derived spongy nanosheet arrays constructed by assembly of carbon encapsulated hetero-metal doped Ni2 P nanoparticles is presented as a superior bifunctional electrocatalyst for water splitting. This hierarchical structure can be stably retained when secondary metal dopants are introduced, providing a flexible platform for electronic modulation. The catalytic origin of activity enhancement via metal (Fe, Cr, and Mn) doping is deciphered through experimental and theoretical investigations. Combining the advantages in both morphological and electronic structures, the optimized catalyst NiMn-P exhibits remarkable activity in both hydrogen and oxygen evolution in the alkaline media, with an ultrasmall cell voltage of 1.49 V (at 10 mA cm-2 ) and high durability for at least 240 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongxu Yang
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Zhe Su
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Yuanfu Chen
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, P. R. China
- School of Science, and Institute of Oxygen Supply, Tibet University, Lhasa, 850000, China
| | - Katam Srinivas
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Jianzhi Gao
- School of Physics and Information Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Wanli Zhang
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, P. R. China
| | - Zegao Wang
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Haiping Lin
- School of Physics and Information Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
- Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
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Owens-Baird B, Sousa JPS, Ziouani Y, Petrovykh DY, Zarkevich NA, Johnson DD, Kolen'ko YV, Kovnir K. Crystallographic facet selective HER catalysis: exemplified in FeP and NiP 2 single crystals. Chem Sci 2020; 11:5007-5016. [PMID: 34122957 PMCID: PMC8159208 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc00676a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
How the crystal structures of ordered transition-metal phosphide catalysts affect the hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER) is investigated by measuring the anisotropic catalytic activities of selected crystallographic facets on large (mm-sized) single crystals of iron-phosphide (FeP) and monoclinic nickel-diphosphide (m-NiP2). We find that different crystallographic facets exhibit distinct HER activities, in contrast to a commonly held assumption of severe surface restructuring during catalytic activity. Moreover, density-functional-theory-based computational studies show that the observed facet activity correlates well with the H-binding energy to P atoms on specific surface terminations. Direction dependent catalytic properties of two different phosphides with different transition metals, crystal structures, and electronic properties (FeP is a metal, while m-NiP2 is a semiconductor) suggests that the anisotropy of catalytic properties is a common trend for HER phosphide catalysts. This realization opens an additional rational design for highly efficient HER phosphide catalysts, through the growth of nanocrystals with specific exposed facets. Furthermore, the agreement between theory and experimental trends indicates that screening using DFT methods can accelerate the identification of desirable facets, especially for ternary or multinary compounds. The large single-crystal nature of the phosphide electrodes with well-defined surfaces allows for determination of the catalytically important double-layer capacitance of a flat surface, C dl = 39(2) μF cm-2 for FeP, useful for an accurate calculation of the turnover frequency (TOF). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies of the catalytic crystals that were used show the formation of a thin oxide/phosphate overlayer, presumably ex situ due to air-exposure. This layer is easily removed for FeP, revealing a surface of pristine metal phosphide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Owens-Baird
- Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University Ames IA 50011 USA .,Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy Ames IA 50011 USA
| | - Juliana P S Sousa
- Nanochemistry Research Group, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory Braga 4715-330 Portugal
| | - Yasmine Ziouani
- Nanochemistry Research Group, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory Braga 4715-330 Portugal
| | - Dmitri Y Petrovykh
- Nanochemistry Research Group, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory Braga 4715-330 Portugal
| | | | - Duane D Johnson
- Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy Ames IA 50011 USA.,Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State University Ames IA 50011 USA
| | - Yury V Kolen'ko
- Nanochemistry Research Group, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory Braga 4715-330 Portugal
| | - Kirill Kovnir
- Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University Ames IA 50011 USA .,Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy Ames IA 50011 USA
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Partanen L, Hakala M, Laasonen K. Hydrogen adsorption trends on various metal-doped Ni2P surfaces for optimal catalyst design. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:184-191. [DOI: 10.1039/c8cp06143b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This article shows that the presence of dopants, especially Fe and Co, can enhance the HER catalytic activity of Ni2P.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauri Partanen
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Aalto University
- FI-00076 Aalto
- Finland
| | - Mikko Hakala
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Aalto University
- FI-00076 Aalto
- Finland
| | - Kari Laasonen
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Aalto University
- FI-00076 Aalto
- Finland
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Tang F, Su H, Zhao X, Zhang H, Hu F, Yao P, Liu Q, Cheng W. Potential-driven surface active structure rearrangement over FeP@NC towards efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:7918-7923. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cp00375d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the variation of active structure during the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) process is of great importance for aiding in the design of optimized electrocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumin Tang
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei 230029
- P. R. China
| | - Hui Su
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei 230029
- P. R. China
| | - Xu Zhao
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei 230029
- P. R. China
| | - Hui Zhang
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei 230029
- P. R. China
| | - Fengchun Hu
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei 230029
- P. R. China
| | - Peng Yao
- Department of Electronic Science and Technology
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei 230027
- P. R. China
| | - Qinghua Liu
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei 230029
- P. R. China
| | - Weiren Cheng
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei 230029
- P. R. China
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Abstract
In order to adopt water electrolyzers as a main hydrogen production system, it is critical to develop inexpensive and earth-abundant catalysts. Currently, both half-reactions in water splitting depend heavily on noble metal catalysts. This review discusses the proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis (WE) and the progress in replacing the noble-metal catalysts with earth-abundant ones. The efforts within this field for the discovery of efficient and stable earth-abundant catalysts (EACs) have increased exponentially the last few years. The development of EACs for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acidic media is particularly important, as the only stable and efficient catalysts until now are noble-metal oxides, such as IrOx and RuOx. On the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) side, there is significant progress on EACs under acidic conditions, but there are very few reports of these EACs employed in full PEM WE cells. These two main issues are reviewed, and we conclude with prospects for innovation in EACs for the OER in acidic environments, as well as with a critical assessment of the few full PEM WE cells assembled with EACs.
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