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Carbon Nanotubes Decorated with CoP Nanocrystals: A Highly Active Non‐Noble‐Metal Nanohybrid Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution
Author(s) -
Liu Qian,
Tian Jingqi,
Cui Wei,
Jiang Ping,
Cheng Ningyan,
Asiri Abdullah M.,
Sun Xuping
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201404161
Subject(s) - overpotential , tafel equation , electrocatalyst , catalysis , materials science , noble metal , nanocrystal , electrolyte , carbon nanotube , chemical engineering , exchange current density , faraday efficiency , nanotechnology , proton exchange membrane fuel cell , metal , inorganic chemistry , electrochemistry , chemistry , electrode , organic chemistry , metallurgy , engineering
The development of effective and inexpensive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts for future renewable energy systems is highly desired. The strongly acidic conditions in proton exchange membranes create a need for acid‐stable HER catalysts. A nanohybrid that consists of carbon nanotubes decorated with CoP nanocrystals (CoP/CNT) was prepared by the low‐temperature phosphidation of a Co 3 O 4 /CNT precursor. As a novel non‐noble‐metal HER catalyst operating in acidic electrolytes, the nanohybrid exhibits an onset overpotential of as low as 40 mV, a Tafel slope of 54 mV dec −1 , an exchange current density of 0.13 mA cm −2 , and a Faradaic efficiency of nearly 100 %. This catalyst maintains its catalytic activity for at least 18 hours and only requires overpotentials of 70 and 122 mV to attain current densities of 2 and 10 mA cm −2 , respectively.