Volume 136, Issue 31 e202402184
Forschungsartikel

Elevated Water Oxidation by Cation Leaching Enabled Tunable Surface Reconstruction

Songzhu Luo

Songzhu Luo

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798 Singapore

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Dr. Chencheng Dai

Dr. Chencheng Dai

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798 Singapore

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Yike Ye

Yike Ye

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798 Singapore

Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Interdisciplinary Graduate School, 1 Cleantech Loop, CleanTech One, Singapore, 637141 Singapore

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Dr. Qian Wu

Dr. Qian Wu

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798 Singapore

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Dr. Jiarui Wang

Dr. Jiarui Wang

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798 Singapore

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Dr. Xiaoning Li

Dr. Xiaoning Li

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798 Singapore

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Dr. Shibo Xi

Dr. Shibo Xi

Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Pesek Road, Jurong Island, Singapore, 627833 Singapore

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Prof. Zhichuan J. Xu

Corresponding Author

Prof. Zhichuan J. Xu

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798 Singapore

Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Interdisciplinary Graduate School, 1 Cleantech Loop, CleanTech One, Singapore, 637141 Singapore

The Centre of Advanced Catalysis Science and Technology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798 Singapore

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First published: 15 May 2024
Citations: 1

Abstract

Water electrolysis is one promising and eco-friendly technique for energy storage, yet its overall efficiency is hindered by the sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Therefore, developing strategies to boost OER catalyst performance is crucial. With the advances in characterization techniques, an extensive phenomenon of surface structure evolution into an active amorphous layer was uncovered. Surface reconstruction in a controlled fashion was then proposed as an emerging strategy to elevate water oxidation efficiency. In this work, Cr substitution induces the reconstruction of NiFexCr2-xO4 during cyclic voltammetry (CV) conditioning by Cr leaching, which leads to a superior OER performance. The best-performed NiFe0.25Cr1.75O4 shows a ~1500 % current density promotion at overpotential η=300 mV, which outperforms many advanced NiFe-based OER catalysts. It is also found that their OER activities are mainly determined by Ni : Fe ratio rather than considering the contribution of Cr. Meanwhile, the turnover frequency (TOF) values based on redox peak and total mass were obtained and analysed, and their possible limitations in the case of NiFexCr2-xO4 are discussed. Additionally, the high activity and durability were further verified in a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) cell, highlighting its potential for practical large-scale and sustainable hydrogen gas generation.

Conflict of interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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