Nickel-nitride composite: An eco-friendly and efficient alternative to platinum for electrocatalytic hydrogen production

Shuqin Liang; Huashuai Hu; Jue Liu; Hangjia Shen; Qiao Li; Nianxiang Qiu; Hai Chuan Guo; Xuyun Guo; Shiyu Du; Ye Zhu; Jian Liu; J. Paul Attfield; Minghui Yang

doi:10.1016/j.apcatb.2023.123008

Nickel-nitride composite: An eco-friendly and efficient alternative to platinum for electrocatalytic hydrogen production

Shuqin Liang, Huashuai Hu, Jue Liu, Hangjia Shen, Qiao Li, Nianxiang Qiu, Hai Chuan Guo, Xuyun Guo, Shiyu Du, Ye Zhu, Jian Liu, J. Paul Attfield, Minghui Yang

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Abstract

Water electrolysis using the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a promising method for sustainable hydrogen production. Platinum-based catalysts have traditionally been the most efficient HER catalysts, but their scarcity and sluggish water dissociation limit their practical applications. Here we report on a novel superhydrophilic catalyst of nickel supported on nickel molybdenum nitride (Ni/Ni_0.8Mo_4.2N₆) that outperforms platinum-based nanomaterials. Despite the low catalytic activity of Ni or Ni_0.8Mo_4.2N₆ alone, their optimized composite exhibits exceptional HER activity, with respective 500% and 150% increases in the exchange current and turnover frequency compared to commercial Pt/C. Density of states calculations reveal a decrease in electron density of the supported nickel in Ni/Ni_0.8Mo_4.2N₆, leading to a lower free energy of the HER. These findings demonstrate a powerful electron-engineering strategy for designing supported electrocatalysts with outstanding performance for the HER and related processes.

Original language	English
Article number	123008
Journal	Applied Catalysis B: Environmental
Volume	337
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2023.123008
State	Published - Nov 15 2023

Funding

M. Yang thank the support from the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61971405 ), Zhejiang National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (Grant No. R20B010001 ) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. DUT22RC(3)050 ). S. Du thank the support from the Entrepreneurship Program of Foshan National Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone, Zhejiang Province Key Research and Development Program (Grant No. 2019C01060 ). The research at ORNL's Spallation Neutron Source NOMAD beamlines was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Basic Sciences Scientific User Facilities Division.

Keywords

Electrocatalysts
Electronic redistribution
Hydrogen evolution reaction
Metal nitride
Ultra-high stability

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title = "Nickel-nitride composite: An eco-friendly and efficient alternative to platinum for electrocatalytic hydrogen production",

abstract = "Water electrolysis using the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a promising method for sustainable hydrogen production. Platinum-based catalysts have traditionally been the most efficient HER catalysts, but their scarcity and sluggish water dissociation limit their practical applications. Here we report on a novel superhydrophilic catalyst of nickel supported on nickel molybdenum nitride (Ni/Ni0.8Mo4.2N6) that outperforms platinum-based nanomaterials. Despite the low catalytic activity of Ni or Ni0.8Mo4.2N6 alone, their optimized composite exhibits exceptional HER activity, with respective 500\% and 150\% increases in the exchange current and turnover frequency compared to commercial Pt/C. Density of states calculations reveal a decrease in electron density of the supported nickel in Ni/Ni0.8Mo4.2N6, leading to a lower free energy of the HER. These findings demonstrate a powerful electron-engineering strategy for designing supported electrocatalysts with outstanding performance for the HER and related processes.",

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doi = "10.1016/j.apcatb.2023.123008",

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T2 - An eco-friendly and efficient alternative to platinum for electrocatalytic hydrogen production

AU - Liang, Shuqin

AU - Hu, Huashuai

AU - Liu, Jue

AU - Shen, Hangjia

AU - Li, Qiao

AU - Qiu, Nianxiang

AU - Guo, Hai Chuan

AU - Guo, Xuyun

AU - Du, Shiyu

AU - Zhu, Ye

AU - Liu, Jian

AU - Attfield, J. Paul

AU - Yang, Minghui

PY - 2023/11/15

Y1 - 2023/11/15

N2 - Water electrolysis using the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a promising method for sustainable hydrogen production. Platinum-based catalysts have traditionally been the most efficient HER catalysts, but their scarcity and sluggish water dissociation limit their practical applications. Here we report on a novel superhydrophilic catalyst of nickel supported on nickel molybdenum nitride (Ni/Ni0.8Mo4.2N6) that outperforms platinum-based nanomaterials. Despite the low catalytic activity of Ni or Ni0.8Mo4.2N6 alone, their optimized composite exhibits exceptional HER activity, with respective 500% and 150% increases in the exchange current and turnover frequency compared to commercial Pt/C. Density of states calculations reveal a decrease in electron density of the supported nickel in Ni/Ni0.8Mo4.2N6, leading to a lower free energy of the HER. These findings demonstrate a powerful electron-engineering strategy for designing supported electrocatalysts with outstanding performance for the HER and related processes.

AB - Water electrolysis using the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a promising method for sustainable hydrogen production. Platinum-based catalysts have traditionally been the most efficient HER catalysts, but their scarcity and sluggish water dissociation limit their practical applications. Here we report on a novel superhydrophilic catalyst of nickel supported on nickel molybdenum nitride (Ni/Ni0.8Mo4.2N6) that outperforms platinum-based nanomaterials. Despite the low catalytic activity of Ni or Ni0.8Mo4.2N6 alone, their optimized composite exhibits exceptional HER activity, with respective 500% and 150% increases in the exchange current and turnover frequency compared to commercial Pt/C. Density of states calculations reveal a decrease in electron density of the supported nickel in Ni/Ni0.8Mo4.2N6, leading to a lower free energy of the HER. These findings demonstrate a powerful electron-engineering strategy for designing supported electrocatalysts with outstanding performance for the HER and related processes.

KW - Electrocatalysts

KW - Electronic redistribution

KW - Hydrogen evolution reaction

KW - Metal nitride

KW - Ultra-high stability

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Nickel-nitride composite: An eco-friendly and efficient alternative to platinum for electrocatalytic hydrogen production

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