Phase and interface engineering of nickel carbide nanobranches for efficient hydrogen oxidation catalysis

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Vol. 9; no. 46; pp. 26323 - 26329
• Main Authors: Ji, Wangjin, Zhan, Changhong, Li, Deyu, Xu, Yong, Zhang, Ying, Wang, Lu, Liu, Liangbin, Wang, Yu, Chen, Wenxing, Geng, Hongbo, Huang, Xiaoqing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 30.11.2021
• Subjects: Carbides; Catalysis; Catalysts; Electron transfer; Engineering; Fuel cells; Fuel technology; Nickel; Oxidation; Platinum
• DOI: 10.1039/d1ta08038e
• ISSN: 2050-7488

The hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) has recently attracted great attention, yet the poor performance of HOR over the platinum group metal-free (PGMs-free) catalysts in alkaline conditions strongly impedes the development of hydroxide-exchange membrane fuel cells. Here, we demonstrate that the phase and interface engineering of nickel carbide (Ni 3 C) nanobranches can significantly enhance the alkaline HOR performance. Specifically, such interface engineering is realized through a facile annealing treatment of a branched Ni 3 C nanostructure. As a promising PGMs-free HOR catalyst, the strong interfacial synergy of Ni/Ni 3 C significantly enhances the HOR performance in alkaline media, with the HOR activity being comparable to that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst, and it demonstrates excellent CO tolerance. Mechanism studies show that the interfacial synergy facilitates electron transfer from Ni to Ni 3 C and thus regulates the absorption strengths of *H and *OH. This work opens up a new avenue for the design of high-performance PGM-free catalysts for electrocatalysis and beyond. A heterogeneous Ni/Ni 3 C interface has been constructed through carefully annealing a classic metal carbide of Ni 3 C, where the strong interfacial synergy can regulate the binding strengths of *H and *OH and thus enhance the HOR performance.