Efficient hydrogen production on MoNi 4 electrocatalysts with fast water dissociation kinetics

Zhang J, Wang T, Liu P, Liao Z, Liu S, Zhuang X, Chen M, Zschech E, Feng X (2017)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2017

Journal

Nature Communications Nature Publishing Group: Nature Communications

Book Volume: 8

Article Number: 15437

DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15437

Abstract

Various platinum-free electrocatalysts have been explored for hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic solutions. However, in economical water-alkali electrolysers, sluggish water dissociation kinetics (Volmer step) on platinum-free electrocatalysts results in poor hydrogen-production activities. Here we report a MoNi4 electrocatalyst supported by MoO2 cuboids on nickel foam (MoNi4/MoO2@Ni), which is constructed by controlling the outward diffusion of nickel atoms on annealing precursor NiMoO4 cuboids on nickel foam. Experimental and theoretical results confirm that a rapid Tafel-step-decided hydrogen evolution proceeds on MoNi4 electrocatalyst. As a result, the MoNi4 electrocatalyst exhibits zero onset overpotential, an overpotential of 15 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and a low Tafel slope of 30 mV per decade in 1 M potassium hydroxide electrolyte, which are comparable to the results for platinum and superior to those for state-of-the-art platinum-free electrocatalysts. Benefiting from its scalable preparation and stability, the MoNi4 electrocatalyst is promising for practical water-alkali electrolysers.

Involved external institutions

Tohoku University JP Japan (JP) Technische Universität Dresden DE Germany (DE) Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCB) FR France (FR) Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme (IKTS) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Zhang, J., Wang, T., Liu, P., Liao, Z., Liu, S., Zhuang, X.,... Feng, X. (2017). Efficient hydrogen production on MoNi 4 electrocatalysts with fast water dissociation kinetics. Nature Communications, 8. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15437

MLA:

Zhang, Jian, et al. "Efficient hydrogen production on MoNi 4 electrocatalysts with fast water dissociation kinetics." Nature Communications 8 (2017).

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