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Structurally Ordered Intermetallic Cobalt Stannide Nanocrystals for High‐Performance Electrocatalytic Overall Water‐Splitting
Author(s) -
Menezes Prashanth W.,
Panda Chakadola,
Garai Somenath,
Walter Carsten,
Guiet Amandine,
Driess Matthias
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201809787
Subject(s) - intermetallic , overpotential , oxygen evolution , materials science , water splitting , cobalt , nanocrystal , bimetallic strip , electrolysis , tin oxide , bifunctional , chemical engineering , electrocatalyst , tin , inorganic chemistry , oxide , catalysis , chemistry , nanotechnology , metallurgy , alloy , electrode , electrochemistry , metal , biochemistry , engineering , photocatalysis , electrolyte
The synthesis of structurally ordered non‐noble intermetallic cobalt stannide (CoSn 2 ) nanocrystals and their utilization for high‐performance electrocatalytic overall water‐splitting is presented. The structurally and electronically beneficial properties of the tetragonal CoSn 2 exhibit a considerably low overpotential for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO) and Ni foam (NF). Loss of Sn from the crystal lattices and oxidation of Co under strongly alkaline conditions furnishes highly disordered amorphous active CoO x (H), the catalytically active structure for OER. The Co 0 atoms in the CoSn 2 act as active sites for HER and the presence of Sn provides efficient electrical conductivity. This intermetallic phase is a novel type of cost‐effective and competitive bifunctional electrocatalysts and predestinated for overall water‐splitting devices: A two‐electrode electrolyzer with CoSn 2 on NF delivers a cell voltage of merely 1.55 V at 10 mA cm −2 maintaining long‐term stability.