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Single-Atomic Co-N 4 Sites with CrCo Nanoparticles for Metal-Air Battery-Driven Hydrogen Evolution.
- Source :
-
Inorganic chemistry [Inorg Chem] 2024 Apr 22; Vol. 63 (16), pp. 7218-7232. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Apr 09. - Publication Year :
- 2024
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Abstract
- Designing highly active and robust earth abundant trifunctional electrocatalysts for energy storage and conversion applications remain an enormous challenge. Herein, we report a trifunctional electrocatalyst (CrCo/CoN <subscript>4</subscript> @CNT-5), synthesized at low calcination temperature (550 °C), which consists of Co-N <subscript>4</subscript> single atom and CrCo alloy nanoparticles and exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, and oxygen reduction reaction. The catalyst is able to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm <superscript>-2</superscript> in an alkaline electrolytic cell at a very low cell voltage of ∼1.60 V. When the catalyst is equipped in a liquid rechargeable Zn-air battery, it endowed a high open-circuit voltage with excellent cycling durability and outperformed the commercial Pt/C+IrO <subscript>2</subscript> catalytic system. Furthermore, the Zn-air battery powered self-driven water splitting system is displayed using CrCo/CoN <subscript>4</subscript> @CNT-5 as sole trifunctional catalyst, delivering a high H <subscript>2</subscript> evolution rate of 168 μmol h <superscript>-1</superscript> . Theoretical calculations reveal synergistic interaction between Co-N <subscript>4</subscript> active sites and CrCo nanoparticles, favoring the Gibbs free energy for H <subscript>2</subscript> evolution. The presence of Cr not only enhances the H <subscript>2</subscript> O adsorption and dissociation but also tunes the electronic property of CrCo nanoparticles to provide optimized hydrogen binding capacity to Co-N <subscript>4</subscript> sites, thus giving rise to accelerated H <subscript>2</subscript> evolution kinetics. This work highlights the importance of the presence of small quantity of Cr in enhancing the electrocatalytic activity as well as robustness of single-atom catalyst and suggests the design of the multifunctional robust electrocatalysts for long-term H <subscript>2</subscript> evolution application.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1520-510X
- Volume :
- 63
- Issue :
- 16
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Inorganic chemistry
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 38593245
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c04443