Open AccessOptimizing interfacial electronic coupling with metal oxide to activate inert polyaniline for superior electrocatalytic hydrogen generation
Author(s) -
Huang ZhenFeng,
Song Jiajia,
Du Yonghua,
Dou Shuo,
Sun Libo,
Chen Wei,
Yuan Kaidi,
Dai Zhengfei,
Wang Xin
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
carbon energy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2637-9368
DOI - 10.1002/cey2.3
Subject(s) - tafel equation , polyaniline , overpotential , materials science , inert , metal , oxide , hydrogen , chemical engineering , redox , polymerization , inorganic chemistry , electrochemistry , chemistry , polymer , electrode , composite material , organic chemistry , metallurgy , engineering
Tuning and optimization of electronic structures and related reaction energetics are critical toward the rational design of efficient electrocatalysts. Herein, experimental and theoretical calculation demonstrate the originally inert N site within polyaniline (PANI) can be activated for hydrogen evolution by proper d‐π interfacial electronic coupling with metal oxide. As a result, the as‐synthesized WO 3 assemblies@PANI via a facile redox‐induced assembly and in situ polymerization, exhibits the electrocatalytic production of hydrogen better than other control samples including W 18 O 49 @PANI and most of the reported nobel‐metal‐free electrocatalysts, with low overpotential of 74 mV at 10 mA·cm −2 and small Tafel slope of 46 mV·dec −1 in 0.5M H 2 SO 4 (comparable to commercial Pt/C). The general efficacy of this methodology is also validated by extension to other metal oxides such as MoO 3 with similar improvements.