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Heterostructures Composed of N‐Doped Carbon Nanotubes Encapsulating Cobalt and β‐Mo 2 C Nanoparticles as Bifunctional Electrodes for Water Splitting
Author(s) -
Ouyang Ting,
Ye YaQian,
Wu ChunYan,
Xiao Kang,
Liu ZhaoQing
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201814262
Subject(s) - oxygen evolution , bifunctional , water splitting , heterojunction , electrolyte , cobalt , materials science , nanoparticle , carbon nanotube , chemical engineering , catalysis , electrode , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , nanotechnology , electrochemistry , organic chemistry , optoelectronics , photocatalysis , engineering
Herein, we demonstrate the use of heterostructures comprised of Co/β‐Mo 2 C@N‐CNT hybrids for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline electrolyte. The Co can not only create a well‐defined heterointerface with β‐Mo 2 C but also overcomes the poor OER activity of β‐Mo 2 C, thus leading to enhanced electrocatalytic activity for HER and OER. DFT calculations further proved that cooperation between the N‐CNTs, Co, and β‐Mo 2 C results in lower energy barriers of intermediates and thus greatly enhances the HER and OER performance. This study not only provides a simple strategy for the construction of heterostructures with nonprecious metals, but also provides in‐depth insight into the HER and OER mechanism in alkaline solution.