S, N co-doped carbon nanotube-encapsulated CoS2@Co

Schematic illustration and physical characterization of S, N co-doped carbon nanotubes encapsulated core-shell (CoS2@Co) nanoparticles. Credit: ©Science China Press

Electrochemical water splitting is favorable strategy to produce high-purity H2. The current mainstream catalysts for water electrolysis are precious metals (Pt, RuO2, IrO2), which possess superior catalytic activity, relatively low over-potential and favorable catalytic kinetics, but their high cost and poor cycle stability is still unaffordable.

Therefore, it is urgent to develop a new type of hydrogen production catalyst with low cost, high catalytic activity and high stability.

Due to its low cost, high abundance, and good electrical conductivity, the transition metal-Co and its derivatives have shown great promise in electrocatalysis.

However, stability has been a big issue due to their high chemical activities. To address this issue, encapsulation of Co nanoparticles into carbon shell has been proposed as an effective strategy to inherit the high electrocatalytic activity of the transition metal, and further prevent its corrosion from the harsh electrolytic environment.

By tuning the metal composition and structure of carbon layers, the catalytic properties of these composites can be regulated.

Recently, Liu Zhao-Qing's group of Guangzhou University reports a bifunctional catalyst, transition metal cobalt ions induced the self-growth of nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes, which are further vulcanized to incorporate sulfur into the carbon nanotubes framework.

The obtained materials (S, N-CNTs/CoS2@Co) exhibit excellent HER and OER performance. As cathode and anode, S, N-CNTs/CoS2@Co can rapidly dissociate water molecules to produce hydrogen and oxygen gases, requiring only 1.633 V to reach a current density of 10 mA cm-2, and a strong stability under various operating currents is also observed.

###

See the article:

Jing-Yu Wang, Ting Ouyang, Nan Li, Tianyi Ma, Zhao-Qing Liu. S, N co-doped carbon nanotube-encapsulated core-shelled CoS2@Co nanoparticles: efficient and stable bifunctional catalysts for overall water splitting, Science Bulletin, 2018, DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2018.07.008.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095927318303293

Media Contact

Zhao-Qing Liu
lzqgzu@gzhu.edu.cn

http://www.scichina.com/ 

Media Contact

Zhao-Qing Liu EurekAlert!

All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry

Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.

Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Skyrmions move at record speeds

… a step towards the computing of the future. An international research team led by scientists from the CNRS1 has discovered that the magnetic nanobubbles2 known as skyrmions can be…

A flexible and efficient DC power converter for sustainable-energy microgrids

A new DC-DC power converter is superior to previous designs and paves the way for more efficient, reliable and sustainable energy storage and conversion solutions. The Kobe University development can…

Technical Trials for Easing the (Cosmological) Tension

A new study sorts through models attempting to solve one of the major challenges of contemporary cosmic science, the measurement of its expansion. Thanks to the dizzying growth of cosmic…

Partners & Sponsors