Vanadium Oxide Clusters Decorated Metallic Cobalt Catalyst for Active Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution

Date

2020

Authors

Li, Yibing
Tan, Xin
Yang, Wanfeng
Bo, Xin
Su, Zhen
Zhao, Tingwen
Smith, Sean
Zhao, Chuan

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Cell Press

Abstract

Promoting active and stable H evolution reaction (HER) on metallic Fe triad materials is important yet challenging. Here, we report a metallic Co catalyst modulated by vanadium oxide (VOx) clusters (denoted as Co(VOx)) for active alkaline HER activity. Systematic X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray crystallography studies verify that VOx clusters endow Co with a highly disordered lattice and downsized particle size. The best Co(VOx) electrode is achieved with an optimal doping level of 3%, which delivers −100 mA cm(-2) at an overpotential merely of 178 mV, in contrast to 344 mV and continuous activity decay on pure Co. The lower or higher doping level is unable either to regulate the atomic structure and reduce the H binding or to provide fewer active sites. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that VOx enables efficient electron transfer from Co to VOx, thus decreasing the H-adsorption on V-Co(001) for enhanced HER.

Description

Keywords

H2 evolution, downsize and disorder, XAS, operando Raman, Co(VOx)

Citation

Source

Cell Reports Physical Science

Type

Journal article

Book Title

Entity type

Access Statement

Open Access

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