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Ni 17 W 3 –W Interconnected Hybrid Prepared by Atmosphere‐ and Thermal‐Induced Phase Separation for Efficient Electrocatalysis of Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution
Author(s) -
Li YongKe,
Zhang Geng,
Huang He,
Lu WangTing,
Cao FeiFei,
Shao ZhiGang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.202005184
Subject(s) - materials science , electrocatalyst , hydroxide , electrolyte , anode , chemical engineering , water splitting , adsorption , catalysis , cathode , nickel , electrolysis , alkaline water electrolysis , hydrogen , inorganic chemistry , electrochemistry , electrode , chemistry , metallurgy , organic chemistry , photocatalysis , engineering
Abstract The development of efficient and stable noble‐metal‐free electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media is still a challenge. Herein, a hybrid material formed by the interconnection of Ni 17 W 3 intermetallic compound with metallic W is demonstrated for HER. The Ni 17 W 3 –W hybrid is prepared by the atmosphere‐ and thermal‐induced phase‐separation strategy from a single‐phase precursor (NiWO 4 ), which gives Ni 17 W 3 –W hybrid abundant and tight interfaces. The theoretical calculation manifests that Ni 17 W 3 shows more optimized energetics for adsorbed H atom, while W has lower energy barrier for water dissociation, and the synergistic effect between them is believed to facilitate the HER kinetics. Moreover, Ni 17 W 3 presents a proper adsorption strength for both adsorbed OH and H, and thus Ni 17 W 3 may also act as a high HER catalyst by itself. As a result, the Ni 17 W 3 –W hybrid demonstrates high activity and durability for HER in liquid alkaline electrolyte; the electrolyzer assembled by Ni 17 W 3 –W hybrid and Ni–Fe‐layered double hydroxide (LDH) as, respectively, the cathode and anode electrocatalysts presents superior performance to Pt/C–IrO 2 benchmark. In addition, the Ni 17 W 3 –W hybrid also works well in the water electrolyzer based on solid hydroxide exchange membrane. The present work provides a promising pathway to the design of high‐performance electrocatalysts.