1. Rationally designing of Co-WS2 catalysts with optimized electronic structure to enhance hydrogen evolution reaction.
- Author
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Wang, Rong-Xu, Yang, Lei, Chen, Han-Yang, Wang, Nan, Zhang, Wen-Jie, Li, Ru, Chen, You-Qiang, You, Chao-yu, Ramakrishna, Seeram, and Long, Yun-Ze
- Subjects
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GIBBS' free energy , *CATALYSTS , *HYDROGEN evolution reactions , *ALKALINE batteries , *ELECTRON transport , *CATALYTIC activity , *CHARGE exchange - Abstract
The Co-WS 2 heterostructure, loaded on nanofibers with faster electron transport rates, was designed and developed using a top-down approach to achieve high HER performance in alkaline electrolytes. Driven by the inherent electric field induced by the work function difference between Co and WS 2 , efficient electron transfer at the interface optimizes the adsorption energy of reaction intermediates and boosts catalytic activity. [Display omitted] Designing and developing cost-effective, high-performance catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for advancing hydrogen production technology. Tungsten-based sulfides (WS x) exhibit great potential as efficient HER catalysts, however, the activity is limited by the larger energy required for water dissociation under alkaline conditions. Herein, we adopt a top-down strategy to construct heterostructure Co-WS 2 nanofiber catalysts. The experimental results and theoretical simulations unveil that the work functions-induced built-in electric field at the interface of Co-WS 2 catalysts facilitates the electron transfer from Co to WS 2 , significantly reducing water dissociation energy and optimizing the Gibbs free energy of the entire reaction step for HER. Besides, the self-supported catalysts of Co-WS 2 nanoparticles confining 1D nanofibers exhibit an increased number of active sites. As expected, the heterostructure Co-WS 2 catalysts exhibit remarkable HER activity with an overpotential of 113 mV to reach 10 mA cm−2 and stability with 30 h catalyzing at 23 mA cm−2. This work can provide an avenue for designing highly efficient catalysts applicable to the field of energy storage and conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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