Investigating the Structural Evolution and Catalytic Activity of c-Co/Co3Mo Electrocatalysts for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Transition metal alloys have emerged as promising electrocatalysts due to their ability to modulate key parameters, such as d-band electron filling, Fermi level energy, and interatomic spacing, thereby influencing their affinity towards reaction intermediates. However, the structural stability of al...

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Published inMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 28; no. 19; p. 6986
Main Authors Chen, Long, Jiang, Li-Wen, Wang, Jian-Jun
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 09.10.2023
MDPI
Subjects
alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)
Alloys
Annealing
c-Co/Co3Mo electrocatalyst
Carbon
Crystal structure
Efficiency
electrocatalysts
Electrolytes
Energy consumption
Hydrogen
Nanoparticles
Scanning electron microscopy
Spectrum analysis
structural stability
transition metal alloys
Voltammetry
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Summary:Transition metal alloys have emerged as promising electrocatalysts due to their ability to modulate key parameters, such as d-band electron filling, Fermi level energy, and interatomic spacing, thereby influencing their affinity towards reaction intermediates. However, the structural stability of alloy electrocatalysts during the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) remains a subject of debate. In this study, we systematically investigated the structural evolution and catalytic activity of the c-Co/Co3Mo electrocatalyst under alkaline HER conditions. Our findings reveal that the Co3Mo alloy and H0.9MoO3 exhibit instability during alkaline HER, leading to the breakdown of the crystal structure. As a result, the cubic phase c-Co undergoes a conversion to the hexagonal phase h-Co, which exhibits strong catalytic activity. Additionally, we identified hexagonal phase Co(OH)2 as an intermediate product of this conversion process. Furthermore, we explored the readsorption and surface coordination of the Mo element, which contribute to the enhanced catalytic activity of the c-Co/Co3Mo catalyst in alkaline HER. This work provides valuable insights into the dynamic behavior of alloy-based electrocatalysts, shedding light on their structural stability and catalytic activity during electrochemical reduction processes.
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These authors contributed equally to this work.
ISSN:1420-3049
1420-3049
DOI:10.3390/molecules28196986