Improvement of the low-cost transition metal electrocatalyst used in sluggish oxygen evolution reaction is a significant but challenging problem. In this study, ultrafine Fe-modulated Ni nanoparticles embedded in a po...Improvement of the low-cost transition metal electrocatalyst used in sluggish oxygen evolution reaction is a significant but challenging problem. In this study, ultrafine Fe-modulated Ni nanoparticles embedded in a porous Ni-doped carbon matrix were produced by the pyrolysis of zirconium metal–organic–frameworks, in which 2,2′-bipyridine-5,5′-dicarboxylate operating as a ligand can coordinate with Ni^(2+) and Fe^(3+). This strategy allows formation of Fe-modulated Ni nanoparticles with a uniform dimension of about 2 nm which can be ascribed to the spatial blocking effect of ZrO_(2). This unique catalyst displays an efficient oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalytic activity with a low overpotential of 372 mV at 10 mA·cm^(–2) and a small Tafel slope of 84.4 mV·dec^(–1) in alkaline media. More importantly, it shows superior durability and structural stability after 43 h in a chronoamperometry test. Meanwhile, it shows excellent cycling stability during 4000 cyclic voltammetry cycles. This research offers a new insight into the construction of uniform nanoscale transition metals and their alloys as highly efficient and durable electrocatalysts.展开更多
基金financial support from the National Key Technologies R&D Program of China(Grant No.2017YFA0205103)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.21971045)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai(Grant No.18ZR1402900)Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project(Grant No.B108).
文摘Improvement of the low-cost transition metal electrocatalyst used in sluggish oxygen evolution reaction is a significant but challenging problem. In this study, ultrafine Fe-modulated Ni nanoparticles embedded in a porous Ni-doped carbon matrix were produced by the pyrolysis of zirconium metal–organic–frameworks, in which 2,2′-bipyridine-5,5′-dicarboxylate operating as a ligand can coordinate with Ni^(2+) and Fe^(3+). This strategy allows formation of Fe-modulated Ni nanoparticles with a uniform dimension of about 2 nm which can be ascribed to the spatial blocking effect of ZrO_(2). This unique catalyst displays an efficient oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalytic activity with a low overpotential of 372 mV at 10 mA·cm^(–2) and a small Tafel slope of 84.4 mV·dec^(–1) in alkaline media. More importantly, it shows superior durability and structural stability after 43 h in a chronoamperometry test. Meanwhile, it shows excellent cycling stability during 4000 cyclic voltammetry cycles. This research offers a new insight into the construction of uniform nanoscale transition metals and their alloys as highly efficient and durable electrocatalysts.