Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Munir, Akhtar
• ul Haq, Tanveer
• Hussain, Iqtidar
• Qurashi, Ahsanulhaq
• Ullah, Ubaid
• Iqbal, Muhammad Javed
• Hussain, Irshad

Titel

Ultrasmall Co@Co(OH)2 Nanoclusters Embedded in N‐Enriched Mesoporous Carbon Networks as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Water Oxidation

Ist Teil von

• ChemSusChem, 2019-12, Vol.12 (23), p.5117-5125

Ort / Verlag

Germany: Wiley Subscription Services, Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2019

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Wiley Online Library - AutoHoldings Journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Metal nanoclusters (NCs, size ≤2 nm) are emerging materials in catalysis owing to their unique catalytic and electronic properties such as high surface/volume ratio, high redox potential, plethora of surface active sites, and dynamic behavior on a suitable support during catalysis. Herein, in situ growth of ultrasmall and robust Co@β‐Co(OH)2 NCs (≈2 nm) hosted in a honeycomb‐like 3D N‐enriched carbon network was developed for water‐oxidation catalysis with extremely small onset potential (1.44 V). Overpotentials of 220 and 270 mV were required to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and 100 mA cm−2, respectively, in alkaline medium (1 m KOH). More promisingly, at η10=240 mV, the prolonged oxygen evolution process (>130 h) with faradaic efficiency >95 % at a reaction rate of 22 s−1 at 1.46 V further substantiated the key role of the ultrasmall supported NCs, which outperformed the benchmark electrocatalysts (RuO2/IrO2) and NCs reported so far. It is anticipated that the high redox potential of NCs with regeneratable active sites and their concerted synergistic effects with the N‐enriched porous/flexible carbon network are inherently worth considering to enhance the mass/charge transport owing to the nanoscale interfacial collaboration across the electrode/electrolyte boundary, thereby efficiently energizing the sluggish/challenging oxygen evolution process. Ultrasmall clusters: The half‐cell oxygen evolution reaction (OER) limits the overall water‐splitting process owing its sluggish nature and slow kinetics. Here, ultrasmall (≈2 nm) and robust nanoclusters (NCs) of Co@Co(OH)2 assembled on honeycomb‐like N‐enriched porous carbon networks (HCN) are reported, which can accelerate the OER at extremely low onset potential (1.44 V) with high durability (>130 h).