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Two‐Dimensional Amorphous Cr 2 O 3 Modified Metallic Electrodes for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Author(s) -
Narayanan Soorya P.,
Thakur Pallavi,
Balan Aravind Puthirath,
Abraham Asha Ann,
Mathew Femi,
Yeddala Munaiah,
Subair Thoufeeq,
Tiwary Chandrasekhar,
Thomas Senoy,
Narayanan Tharangattu N.,
Ajayan Pulickel M.,
Anantharaman Malie Madom R.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
physica status solidi (rrl) – rapid research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.786
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1862-6270
pISSN - 1862-6254
DOI - 10.1002/pssr.201900025
Subject(s) - amorphous solid , materials science , catalysis , electrochemistry , dielectric spectroscopy , noble metal , exfoliation joint , chemical engineering , thermal stability , metal , amorphous metal , platinum , electrode , hydrogen , inorganic chemistry , nanotechnology , metallurgy , chemistry , crystallography , graphene , organic chemistry , engineering
The surface modification of benchmarked metal catalysts using nanostructured non‐metallic materials for improved performance and stability is an active area of research and is interesting from both a fundamental and an applied perspective. Amorphous few layered nanosheets of Cr 2 O 3 (3–5 nm) are synthesized by rapid thermal exfoliation of CrCl 3 · 6H 2 O precursors and are characterized. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) studies on alkaline medium conducted with platinum and gold electrodes modified with amorphous sheets of Cr 2 O 3 show augmented HER activity compared to the pristine ones while Cr 2 O 3 alone is not HER active. The role of amorphous Cr 2 O 3 as a co‐catalyst is established and the synergistic charge transfer effects while coupling Cr 2 O 3 with metal catalysts are studied using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Large‐scale processability of amorphous Cr 2 O 3 by rapid thermal treatment along with its high electrochemical stability (>2000 cycles or >50 h) in harsh alkaline conditions, where benchmarked metals fail, open new avenues in designing novel scalable catalysts by protecting the surface of noble metal catalysts without sacrificing the electrochemical performance.