Dopant-Induced Charge
Redistribution on the 3D Sponge-like
Hierarchical Structure of Quaternary Metal Phosphides Nanosheet Arrays
Derived from Metal–Organic Frameworks for Natural Seawater
Splitting
posted on 2024-01-05, 22:03authored byThuy Tien
Nguyen Tran, Thuy-Kieu Truong, Jianmin Yu, Lishan Peng, Xinghui Liu, Linh Ho Thuy Nguyen, Sungkyun Park, Yoshiyuki Kawazoe, Thang Bach Phan, Nhu Hoa Thi Tran, Nam Hoang Vu, Ngoc Quang Tran
Dopant-induced electron redistribution on transition
metal-based
materials has long been considered an emerging new electrocatalyst
that is expected to replace noble-metal-based electrocatalysts in
natural seawater electrolysis; however, their practical applications
remain extremely daunting due to their sluggish kinetics in natural
seawater. In this work, we developed a facile strategy to synthesize
the 3D sponge-like hierarchical structure of Ru-doped NiCoFeP nanosheet
arrays derived from metal–organic frameworks with remarkable
hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance in natural seawater.
Based on experimental results and density functional theory calculations,
Ru-doping-induced charge redistribution on the surface of metal active
sites has been found, which can significantly enhance the HER activity.
As a result, the 3D sponge-like hierarchical structure of Ru–NiCoFeP
nanosheet arrays achieves low overpotentials of 52, 149, and 216 mV
at 10, 100, and 500 mA cm–2 in freshwater alkaline,
respectively. Notably, the electrocatalytic activity of the Ru–NiCoFeP
electrocatalyst in simulated alkaline seawater and natural alkaline
seawater is nearly the same as that in freshwater alkaline. This electrocatalyst
exhibits superior catalytic properties with outstanding stability
under a high current density of 85 mA cm–2 for more
than 100 h in natural seawater, which outperforms state-of-the-art
20% Pt/C at high current density. Our work provides valuable guidelines
for developing a low-cost and high-efficiency electrocatalyst for
natural seawater splitting.