Recent Advances of Transition Metal Basic Salts for Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction and Overall Water Electrolysis

Electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction(OER)has been recognized as the bottleneck of overall water splitting,which is a promising approach for sustainable production of H_(2).Transition metal(TM)hydroxides are the most conventional and classical non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts for OER,while TM basic salts[M^(2+)(OH)_(2-x)(A_(m^(-))_(x/m),A=CO_(3)^(2−),NO_(3)^(−),F^(−),Cl^(−)]consisting of OH−and another anion have drawn extensive research interest due to its higher catalytic activity in the past decade.In this review,we summarize the recent advances of TM basic salts and their application in OER and further overall water splitting.We categorize TM basic salt-based OER pre-catalysts into four types(CO_(3)^(2−),NO_(3)^(−),F^(−),Cl^(−)according to the anion,which is a key factor for their outstanding performance towards OER.We highlight experimental and theoretical methods for understanding the structure evolution during OER and the effect of anion on catalytic performance.To develop bifunctional TM basic salts as catalyst for the practical electrolysis application,we also review the present strategies for enhancing its hydrogen evolution reaction activity and thereby improving its overall water splitting performance.Finally,we conclude this review with a summary and perspective about the remaining challenges and future opportunities of TM basic salts as catalysts for water electrolysis.

Novel Co_3O_4 Nanoparticles/Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Composites with Extraordinary Catalytic Activity for Oxygen Evolution Reaction(OER)

Herein, Co_3O_4 nanoparticles/nitrogen-doped carbon(Co_3O_4/NPC) composites with different structures were prepared via a facile method. Structure control was achieved by the rational morphology design of ZIF-67 precursors, which were then pyrolyzed in air to obtain Co_3O_4/NPC composites. When applied as catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction(OER), the M-Co_3O_4/NPC composites derived from the flower-like ZIF-67 showedsuperior catalytic activities than those derived from the rhombic dodecahedron and hollow spherical ZIF-67. The former M-Co_3O_4/NPC composite displayed a small overpotential of 0.3 V, low onset potential of 1.41 V, small Tafel slope of 83 m V dec^(-1), and a desirable stability.(94.7% OER activity was retained after 10 h.) The excellent performance of the flower-like M-Co_3O_4/NPC composite in the OER was attributed to its favorable structure.

THE ELECTROCATALYTIC ACTIVITY OF NiCo2O4 FOR THE OXYGEN EVOLUTION REACTION

A spinel oxide NiCo204 prepared by thermal decomposition is of very high activity for the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)in alkaline solution.The oxygen evolution overpotential on NiCo204 is 0.252-0.262V in 10 M NaOH solution at 343K and current density 100 mAcm^(-2).

Metal-organic framework derived NiFe_(2)O_(4)/FeNi_(3)@C composite for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

Reducing the cost and improving the electrocatalytic activity are the key to developing high efficiency electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction(OER).Here,bimetallic NiFe-based metal-organic framework(MOF)was prepared by solvothermal method,and then used as precursor to prepare NiFe-based MOF-derived materials by pyrolysis.The effects of different metal ratios and pyrolysis temperatures on the sample structure and OER electrocatalytic performance were investigated and compared.The experimental results showed that when the metal molar ratio was Fe:Ni=1:5 and the pyrolysis temperature was 450℃,the sample(FeNi_(5)-MOF-450)exhibits a composite structure of Ni Fe_(2)O_(4)/FeNi_(3)/C and owns the superior electrocatalytic activity in OER.When the current density is 100 mA·cm^(-2),the overpotential of the sample was 377 mV with Tafel slope of 56.2 mV·dec^(-1),which indicates that FeNi_(5)-MOF-450 exhibits superior electrocatalytic performance than the commercial RuO_(2).Moreover,the long-term stability of FeNi_(5)-MOF-450 further promotes its development in OER.This work demonstrated that the regulatory methods such as component optimization can effectively improve the OER catalytic performance of NiFe-based MOF-derived materials.

Boosting the oxygen evolution reaction through migrating active sites from the bulk to surface of perovskite oxides

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) dominates the efficiency of electrocatalytic water splitting owing to its sluggish kinetics.Perovskite oxides (ABO_(3)) have emerged as promising candidates to accelerate the OER process owing to their high intrinsic activities and tailorable properties.Fe ions in perovskite oxides have been proved to be a highly catalytic element for OER,while some Fe-based perovskites such as SrTi_(0.8)Fe_(0.2)O_(3-δ)(STF) and La_(0.66)Ti_(0.8)Fe_(0.2)O_(3-δ)(LTF) exhibit inferior OER activity.Yet the essential reason is still unclear and the effective method to promote the activity of such perovskite is also lacking.Herein,an in-situ exsolution strategy was proposed to boost the OER by migrating Fe from the bulk to the surface.Significantly enhanced OER activity was achieved on STF and LTF perovskites with surfacedecorated oxygen vacancies and Fe nanoparticles.In addition,theoretical calculation confirmed that the oxygen vacancies and Fe nanoparticle on surface could lower the overpotential of OER by facilitating the adsorption of OH^(-).From this study,migration of the active elements in perovskite is found to be an effective strategy to increase the quantity and activity of active sites,providing new insights and understanding for designing efficient OER catalysts.

Recent Advances in the Comprehension and Regulation of Lattice Oxygen Oxidation Mechanism in Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Water electrolysis,a process for producing green hydrogen from renewable energy,plays a crucial role in the transition toward a sustainable energy landscape and the realization of the hydrogen economy.Oxygen evolution reaction(OER)is a critical step in water electrolysis and is often limited by its slow kinetics.Two main mechanisms,namely the adsorbate evolution mechanism(AEM)and lattice oxygen oxidation mechanism(LOM),are commonly considered in the context of OER.However,designing efficient catalysts based on either the AEM or the LOM remains a topic of debate,and there is no consensus on whether activity and stability are directly related to a certain mechanism.Considering the above,we discuss the characteristics,advantages,and disadvantages of AEM and LOM.Additionally,we provide insights on leveraging the LOM to develop highly active and stable OER catalysts in future.For instance,it is essential to accurately differentiate between reversible and irreversible lattice oxygen redox reactions to elucidate the LOM.Furthermore,we discuss strategies for effectively activating lattice oxygen to achieve controllable steady-state exchange between lattice oxygen and an electrolyte(OH^(-)or H_(2)O).Additionally,we discuss the use of in situ characterization techniques and theoretical calculations as promising avenues for further elucidating the LOM.

Ni_(3)Fe/Ni_(4)S_(3)/Ni/C Mixed Crystal Composite Nanofibers Prepared by Electrospinning and Heat Treatment Methods for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

OER catalyst of Ni_(3)Fe/Ni_(4)S_(3)/Ni/C(NiFeSC series)mixed crystal composite nanofibers was prepared by electrospinning and atmospheric heat treatment process.The testing results indicate that the diameters of Ni_(3)Fe/Ni_(4)S_(3)/Ni/C composite nanofibers is about 200 nm,the grains size is about 1-3 nm,and the fiber surface is rough.The electrochemical test results show that the heterojunction of the prepared Ni_(3)Fe/Ni_(4)S_(3)/Ni/C hybrid crystal composite nanofiber has synergistic effect with sulfide,and exhibits good electrocatalytic activity of water decomposition and OER in alkaline system.The OER electrocatalytic performance of Ni_(3)Fe/Ni_(4)S_(3)/Ni/C composite electrode prepared via a heat treatment at 1000℃process was tested in 1 mol/L KOH electrolytes.The results show that the overpotential is about 298 mV,the Tafel slope is about 74 mV?dec-1,and the surface resistance is about 1.69Ω·cm^(2),at the current density of 10 mA·cm^(-2).

Hierarchical FeO_(χ)H_(y)@Ni_(3)B hybrid for efficient alkaline oxygen evolution at high current density

Electrocatalysts with high activity and long-term durability are vital toward large-scale hydrogen pro-duction from electrocatalytic water splitting.Here,the self-supported electrode(FeO_(χ)H_(y)@Ni_(3)B/NF)with hierarchical heterostructure was simply prepared by using Ni_(3)B chunks grown on nickel foam as sub-strate to in situ form vertical FeO_(χ)H_(y)nanosheets.Such hybrid shows efficient oxygen evolution reaction activity with overpotentials as low as 267 and 249 mV at 100 mA cm^(-2)in 1 M KOH solution and 30 wt%KOH solution,respectively.Meanwhile,it also exhibits excellent catalytic stability,sustaining catalysis at 500 mA cm^(-2)in 1 M KOH solution for 200 h,and even for 200 h at 1000 mA cm^(-2)in 30 wt%KOH solution.Further experimental results reveal that the FeO_(χ)H_(y)@Ni_(3)B/NF is endowed with superhydrophilic and superaerophobic surface properties,which not only provide more mass transport channels,as well as facilitated the diffusion of reaction intermediates and gas bubbles.Also,it holds faster reaction kinetics,more accessible active sites and accelerated electron transfer rates due to strong synergistic interactions attheheterogeneous interface.

Multicomponent transition metal phosphide for oxygen evolution

Transition metal phosphides(TMPs)have exhibited decent performance in an oxygen evolution reaction(OER),which is a kinetic bottleneck in many energy storages and conversion systems.Most reported catalysts are composed of three or fewer metallic components.The inherent complexity of multicomponent TMPs with more than four metallic components hinders their investigation in rationally designing the structure and,more importantly,comprehending the component-activity correlation.Through hydrothermal growth and subsequent phosphor-ization,we reported a facile strategy for combining TMPs with tunable elemental compositions(Ni,Fe,Mn,Co,Cu)on a two-dimensional ti-tanium carbide(MXene)flake.The obtained TMPs/MXene hybrid nanostructures demonstrate homogeneously distributed elements.They ex-hibit high electrical conductivity and strong interfacial interaction,resulting in an accelerated reaction kinetics and long-term stability.The res-ults of different component catalysts’OER performance show that NiFeMnCoP/MXene is the most active catalyst,with a low overpotential of 240 mV at 10 mA·cm−2,a small Tafel slope of 41.43 mV·dec−1,and a robust long-term electrochemical stability.According to the electrocata-lytic mechanism investigation,the enhanced NiFeMnCoP/MXene OER performance is due to the strong synergistic effect of the multi-ele-mental composition.Our work,therefore,provides a scalable synthesis route for multi-elemental TMPs and a valuable guideline for efficient MXene-supported catalysts design.

Co NP/NC hollow nanoparticles derived from yolk-shell structured ZIFs@polydopamine as bifunctional electrocatalysts for water oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions

The pyrolysis under inert atmosphere has been widely used for the synthesis of metal containing heteroatoms doped carbon materials, versatile catalysts for various reactions. However, it is difficult to prevent metal nanoparticles aggregation during pyrolysis process. Herein, we reported the efficient synthesis of nitrogen doped carbon hollow nanospheres with cobalt nanoparticles （Co NP, ca. 10nm in size） distributed uniformly in the shell via pyrolysis of yolk-shell structured Zn-Co-ZIFs@polydopamine （PDA）. PDA acted as both protection layer and carbon source, which successfully prevented the aggregation of cobalt nanoparticles during high-temperature pyrolysis process. The Co NP and N containing carbon （Co NP/NC） hollow nanospheres were active for both oxygen evolution reaction （OER） and oxygen reduction reaction （ORR）, affording overpotential of 430 mV at 10 mA/cm2 for OER in 1 M KOH and comparable half-wave potential to that of Pt/C （0.80V vs RHE） for ORR in 0.1 M KOH. The superior performance of carbon hollow nanospheres for both OER and ORR was mainly attributed to its small metal nanoparticles, N-doping and hollow nanostructure. The protection and confinement effect that originated from PDA coating strategy could be extended to the synthesis of other hollow structured carbon materials, especially the ones with small metal nanoparticles.

Hierarchical cobalt-molybdenum layered double hydroxide arrays power efficient oxygen evolution reaction

Transition metal-based layered double hydroxides(LDHs)have been capable of working efficiently as catalysts in the basic oxygen evolution reaction(OER)for sustaining hydrogen production of alkaline water electrolysis.Nevertheless,exploring new LDH-based electrocatalysts featuring both remarkable activity and good stability is still in high demand,which is pivotal for comprehensive understanding and impressive improvement of the sluggish OER kinetics.Here,a series of bimetallic(Co and Mo)LDH arrays were designed and fabricated via a facile and controlled strategy by incorporating a Mo source into presynthesized Co-based metal-organic framework(MOF)arrays on carbon cloth(CC),named as ZIF-67/CC arrays.We found that tuning the Mo content resulted in gradual differences in the structural properties,surface morphology,and chemical states of the resulting catalysts,namely CoMox-LDH/CC(x representing the added weight of the Mo source).Gratifyingly,the best-performing CoMo_(0.20)-LDH/CC electrocatalyst demonstrates a low overpotential of only 226 mV and high stability at a current density of 10 mA·cm^(−2),which is superior to most LDH-based OER catalysts reported previously.Furthermore,it only required 1.611 V voltage to drive the overall water splitting device at the current density of 10 mA·cm^(−2).The present study represents a significant advancement in the development and applications of new OER catalysts.

Unraveling the modulation essence of p bands in Co-based oxide stability on acidic oxygen evolution reaction

The oxygen evolution reaction(OER)electrocatalysts,which can keep active for a long time in acidic media,are of great significance to proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers.Here,Ru-Co_(3)O_(4)electrocatalysts with transition metal oxide Co_(3)O_(4)as matrix and the noble metal Ru as doping element have been prepared through an ion exchange–pyrolysis process mediated by metal-organic framework,in which Ru atoms occupy the octahedral sites of Co_(3)O_(4).Experimental and theoretical studies show that introduced Ru atoms have a passivation effect on lattice oxygen.The strong coupling between Ru and O causes a negative shift in the energy position of the O p-band centers.Therefore,the bonding activity of oxygen in the adsorbed state to the lattice oxygen is greatly passivated during the OER process,thus improving the stability of matrix material.In addition,benefiting from the modulating effect of the introduced Ru atoms on the metal active sites,the thermodynamic and kinetic barriers have been significantly reduced,which greatly enhances both the catalytic stability and reaction efficiency of Co_(3)O_(4).

Metal complexes of bipyridine-functionalized covalent organic frameworks as efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction

Electrocatalytic water splitting is considered a clean and practic al method for producing energy.In this study,COF-Bpy,a bipyridine-functionalized covalent organic framework(COF),was prepared via post-synthetic modification,after which electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reactions(OER)were formed through coordination to single-or double-transition metals(Fe,Co,Ni,FeCo,FeNi or CoNi).COF-Bpy@FeNi delivered the best OER performance among the studied electrocatalysts,with an overpotential of 399 mV at 10 mA·cm^(-2)in an alkaline electrolyte(1.0 mol·L^(-1)KOH aqueous).Notably,the electrocatalytic performance of COF-Bpy@FeNi showed slight degradation during durability testing,which is ascribable to its irreversible benzoquinoline structure and strong metal coordination.As expected,COF-Bpy@FeNi exhibited a low overpotential of 347 mV at a turnover frequency(TOF)of 0.1 s^(-1),which suggests that COF-Bpy@FeNi possesses excellent intrinsic electroc atalytic OER activity.Finally,density functional theory(DFT)calculations reveal that the Ni site plays a major role,while the Fe site adjusts the electronic structure of the Ni ions,which rationalizes the excellent OER properties of COF-Bpy@FeNi.This study not only provides a simple and efficient method for complexing COFs with transition metals,but also offers a novel strategy for designing porous organic polymer electrocatalysts.

Insights into the Dynamic Surface Reconstruction of Electrocatalysts in Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Electrocatalytic water splitting,which is recognized as an ideal technology to tackle escalating energy demands and related environmental problems,has attracted growing interest.The sluggish dynamics of the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)has posed an intractable problem in this regard,hindering the practical commercial application of hydrogen production via water splitting.Therefore,the development of active and stable electrocatalysts is a prerequisite for accelerating OER kinetics,which greatly relies on the mechanistic understanding of the structural-property relationship.Owing to the harsh anodic oxidation conditions,most of the catalysts undergo surface reconstruction during the OER process,which means the authentic active sites are the in-situ reconstructed species rather than the freshly prepared one.In this regard,fully comprehending the surface reconstruction process will help us to determine the active sites on the catalyst surface and gain insights into the design principles for more efficient OER catalysts.In this review,we will first give a summary of surface reconstruction of OER electrocatalysts.Then we will focus on the factors that affect surface reconstruction,in-situ/operando characterization technologies,and the strategies to govern surface reconstruction.In addition,we outline existing challenges and the outlook for the development of OER catalysts by tuning surface reconstruction.

Atomically Dispersed Transition Metal-Nitrogen-Carbon Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysts for Zinc-Air Batteries:Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

Rechargeable zinc-air batteries(ZABs)are currently receiving extensive attention because of their extremely high theoretical specific energy density,low manufacturing costs,and environmental friendliness.Exploring bifunctional catalysts with high activity and stability to overcome sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction is critical for the development of rechargeable ZABs.Atomically dispersed metal-nitrogen-carbon(M-N-C)catalysts possessing prominent advantages of high metal atom utilization and electrocatalytic activity are promising candidates to promote oxygen electrocatalysis.In this work,general principles for designing atomically dispersed M-N-C are reviewed.Then,strategies aiming at enhancing the bifunctional catalytic activity and stability are presented.Finally,the challenges and perspectives of M-N-C bifunctional oxygen catalysts for ZABs are outlined.It is expected that this review will provide insights into the targeted optimization of atomically dispersed M-N-C catalysts in rechargeable ZABs.

Green synthesis of NiFe LDH/Ni foam at room temperature for highly efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

Clean energy technologies such as water splitting and fuel cells have been intensively pursued in the last decade for their free pollution. However, there is plenty of fossil energy consumed in the preparation of the catalysts,which results in a heavy pollution. Therefore, it is much desired but challenging to fabricate high-efficiency catalysts without extra energy input. Herein, we used a facile one-pot room-temperature method to synthesize a highly efficient electrocatalyst of nickel iron layered double hydroxide grown on Ni foam(NiFe LDH/NF) for oxygen evolution reaction(OER). The formation of the NiFe LDH follows a dissolutionprecipitation process, in which the acid conditions by hydrolysis of Fe^3+ combined with NO3^- could etch the NF to form Ni^2+. Then, the obtained Ni^2+ was co-precipitated with the hydrolysed Fe^3+ to in situ generate NiFe LDH on the NF. The NiFe LDH/NF exhibits excellent OER performance with a low potential of about 1.411 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE) at a current density of 10 m A cm^-2, a small Tafel slope of 42.3 mV dec^-1 and a significantly low potential of ~1.452 V vs. RHE at 100 mA cm^-2 in 1 mol L^-1 KOH. Moreover, the material also keeps its original morphology and structure over 20 h. This energy-efficient strategy to synthesize NiFe LDH is highly promising for widespread application in OER catalyst industry.

Honeycomb-like MXene/NiFeP_(x)–NC with“continuous”single-crystal enabling high activity and robust durability in electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reactions

The development of low-cost,stable,and robust non-noble metal catalysts for water oxidation is a pivotal challenge for sustainable hydrogen production through electrocatalytic water splitting.Currently,such catalysts suffer from high overpotential and sluggish kinetics in oxygen evolution reactions(OERs).Herein,we report a“continuous”single-crystal honeycomb-like MXene/NiFeP_(x)–N-doped carbon(NC)heterostructure,in which ultrasmall NiFeP_(x)nanoparticles(NPs)encapsulated in the NC are tightly anchored on a layered MXene.Interestingly,this MXene/NiFeP_(x)–NC delivers outstanding OER catalytic performance,which stems from“continuous”single-crystal characteristics,abundant active sites derived from the ultrasmall NiFeP_(x)NPs,and the stable honeycomb-like heterostructure with an open structure.The experimental results are rationalized theoretically(by density functional theory(DFT)calculations),which suggests that it is the unique MXene/NiFeP_(x)–NC heterostructure that promotes the sluggish OER,thereby enabling superior durability and excellent activity with an ultralow overpotential of 240 mV at a current density of 10 mA×cm^(−2).

水热法制备FeNi_x-LDH催化剂及OER性能

采用水热法制备氧析出反应(OER)催化剂铁镍层状双氢氧化物(FeNix-LDH),研究Fe、Ni物质的量比及水热温度和浓度对FeNix-LDH结构及OER催化性能的影响。当x=3时,以较低反应物浓度(为较高反应物浓度的1/10)在180℃下反应24 h,得到的FeNi3-LDH-2催化剂表现出最好的OER催化性能。在1.0 mol/L KOH溶液中,10 mA/cm^2电流密度下的过电位为0.271 V;以10 mA/cm^2恒流连续测量6 h,电压只上升了3.6%,具有较好的电化学稳定性。

Fe掺杂NiCo-LDH的制备及OER催化性能

层状双金属氢氧化物(LDH)因具有组成和结构易于调变等优势而被广泛用作析氧反应(Oxygen evolution reaction,OER)催化剂。通过溶剂热法合成了由二维纳米片组成的花状结构的NiCo-LDH材料,并利用Fe离子对其进行刻蚀,合成了Fe掺杂的NiCo-LDH。在OER催化性能测试中,与未刻蚀的NiCo-LDH相比,在电流密度为10 mA·cm^(-2)时,Fe掺杂的NiCo-LDH材料的过电位仅为273 mV,塔菲尔斜率为98 mV·dec^(-1),OER性能显著提升。此外,所合成的Fe掺杂的NiCo-LDH材料还表现出良好的长期稳定性,经过16 h的连续测试,其OER催化活性仍然能保持在80%。Fe离子刻蚀使NiCo-LDH纳米片具有较多的边缘缺陷,能够提供更多的边缘位点作为活性中心;并且Fe离子的引入改变了NiCo-LDH的电子结构,增加了LDH的层间距离,从而有效改善了催化剂的催化活性和动力学性能。

溶剂对Ni-MOF的形貌调控及其OER性能影响

通过改变溶剂的种类和组成,系统地研究了溶剂对Ni-金属有机框架材料(Ni-MOF)合成的影响。由于DMF、EtOH和水具有竞争性,使用不同比例的DMF/EtOH/H_(2)O作为溶剂进一步控制晶体尺寸大小和形貌。每种溶剂都可以起到晶体调制器的作用,降低成核速率,从而增大晶体尺寸。为了研究形貌对Ni-MOF性能的影响,将所得不同形貌的Ni-MOF,用于析氧反应(OER)测试。目前,通过调控反应溶剂的策略,简单而有效地控制了MOF的尺寸和形貌,并可扩展到各种具有广泛潜在应用前景的纳米MOF的制备。