Tungsten Carbide Encapsulated in Grape-Like N-Doped Carbon Nanospheres: One-Step Facile Synthesis for Low-Cost and Highly Active Electrocatalysts in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers

Feng, Qi1,2,3; Xiong, Yongyueheng1; Xie, Linjin1,3; Zhang, Zhen1,2; Lu, Xiner1; Wang, Yajun2,4; Yuan, Xiao-Zi5; Fan, Jiantao1,3; Li, Hui1,3; Wang, Haijiang3,4

2019-07-17

10.1021/acsami.9b04725

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces   影响因子和分区

1944-8244

1944-8252

Tungsten carbide (WC) is an alternative to the costly and resource-constrained Pt-based catalysts. Herein, a one-step facile and easily scalable approach is reported to synthesize ultrafine WC nanocrystals encapsulated in porous N-doped carbon nanospheres (NC) by simple self-polymerization, drying, and annealing. It is worth mentioning that this developed method has four novel features: (1) the synthesis process, without any hard template or hydrocarbon gas feeding, is, notably, very facile and efficient with low cost; (2) the carbon coating on WC nanocrystals not only restrains coarsening of particles but also creates strong coupling interactions between the nanocrystallines and the conductive carbonaceous matrix; (3) uniform grape-like WC@NC nanospheres with high specific surface area can be obtained in a large scale; and (4) single-phase WC can be achieved. As a result, WC@NC demonstrates remarkable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalytic performance with overpotentials of 127 and 141 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) and Tafel slopes of 56.3 and 78.7 mV dec(-1) in acid and alkaline media, respectively. Our density functional theory calculations manifest that the strong synergistic electronic effect between WC and its intimately bonded carbon shell vastly boosts the HER electrocatalytic activity. WC@NC catalysts as a cathode are further tested in a home-made electrolyzer with 0.78 A cm(-2) achieved at a cell voltage of 2 V at 80 degrees C and operated stably at 200 mA cm-2 for more than 20 h.

hydrogen evolution reaction tungsten carbide density functional theory grape-like nanospheres proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer

SCI ; EI

英语

第一 ; 通讯

National Key Research and Development Program of China[2017YFB0102701]

Science & Technology - Other Topics ; Materials Science

Nanoscience & Nanotechnology ; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary

WOS:000476684900030

AMER CHEMICAL SOC

20193207288743

Carbon ; Catalyst activity ; Chemical bonds ; Coarsening ; Costs ; Doping (additives) ; Electrocatalysts ; Electrolytic cells ; Nanocrystals ; Nanospheres ; Tungsten carbide

Nanotechnology:761 ; Physical Chemistry:801.4 ; Chemical Agents and Basic Industrial Chemicals:803 ; Chemical Products Generally:804 ; Inorganic Compounds:804.2 ; Cost and Value Engineering; Industrial Economics:911 ; Probability Theory:922.1 ; Solid State Physics:933 ; Materials Science:951

Web of Science

1.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Shenzhen Key Lab Hydrogen Energy, Dept Mat Sci & Engn, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, Peoples R China
2.Harbin Inst Technol, Sch Mat Sci & Engn, Harbin 150001, Heilongjiang, Peoples R China
3.Southern Univ Sci & Technol SUSTech, Guangdong Prov Key Lab Energy Mat Elect Power, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China
4.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Dept Mech & Energy Engn, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China
5.Natl Res Council Canada, Res Ctr Energy Min & Environm, 4250 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1W5, Canada

Feng, Qi,Xiong, Yongyueheng,Xie, Linjin,et al. Tungsten Carbide Encapsulated in Grape-Like N-Doped Carbon Nanospheres: One-Step Facile Synthesis for Low-Cost and Highly Active Electrocatalysts in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers[J]. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces,2019,11(28):25123-25132.

Feng, Qi.,Xiong, Yongyueheng.,Xie, Linjin.,Zhang, Zhen.,Lu, Xiner.,...&Wang, Haijiang.(2019).Tungsten Carbide Encapsulated in Grape-Like N-Doped Carbon Nanospheres: One-Step Facile Synthesis for Low-Cost and Highly Active Electrocatalysts in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers.ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces,11(28),25123-25132.

Feng, Qi,et al."Tungsten Carbide Encapsulated in Grape-Like N-Doped Carbon Nanospheres: One-Step Facile Synthesis for Low-Cost and Highly Active Electrocatalysts in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers".ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 11.28(2019):25123-25132.