Self‐Powered Water Splitting of Ni3FeN@Fe24N10 Bifunctional Catalyst Improved Catalytic Activity and Durability by Forming Fe24N10 on Catalyst Surface via the Kirkendall Effect

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Vol. 20; no. 33; pp. e2400374 - n/a
• Main Authors: Jeong, Dong In, Kang, Donghyeon, Kang, Bong Kyun, Lee, Ui Young, Suh, In‐Yong, Kim, Yeseul, Weon, Byung Mook, Kim, Sang‐Woo, Yoon, Dae Ho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; Alternative fuels; Carbon; Catalysts; Catalytic activity; Chemical synthesis; co‐doped carbon shell; Durability; Electricity; Electricity generation; Electrocatalysts; electrochemical catalyst; Emissions; Hydrogen production; Kirkendall effect; Melamine; Nanogenerators; Noble metals; Phytic acid; Polyetherimides; Renewable energy sources; self‐powered water splitting system; transition metal nitride; Transition metals; triboelectric nanogenerator; Water splitting
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.202400374

Highly efficient water splitting electrocatalyst for producing hydrogen as a renewable energy source offers potential to achieve net‐zero. However, it has significant challenges in using transition metal electrocatalysts as alternatives to noble metals due to their low efficiency and durability, furthermore, the reliance on electricity generation for electrocatalysts from fossil fuels leads to unavoidable carbon emissions. Here, a highly efficient self‐powered water splitting system integrated is designed with triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and Ni3FeN@Fe24N10 catalyst with improved catalytic activity and durability. First, the durability of the Ni3FeN catalyst is improved by forming N, P carbon shell using melamine, polyetherimide, and phytic acid. The catalyst activity is improved by generating Fe24N10 in the carbon shell through the Kirkendall effect. The synthesized Ni3FeN@Fe24N10 catalyst exhibited excellent bifunctional catalytic activity (ηOER = 261.8 mV and ηHER = 151.8 mV) and remarkable stability (91.7% in OER and 90.5% in HER) in 1 m KOH. Furthermore, to achieve ecofriendly electricity generation, a rotation‐mode TENG that sustainably generate high‐performance is realized using butylated melamine formaldehyde. As a result, H2 is successfully generated using the integrated system composed of the designed TENG and catalyst. The finding provides a promising approach for energy generation to achieve net‐zero. A self‐powered water splitting system consisting of a R‐TENG that can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy and a Ni3FeN@Fe24N10 catalyst that can produce hydrogen by water splitting with low electrical energy is proposed to obtain hydrogen in an eco‐friendly. This study suggests that the self‐powered water splitting system has the potential to achieve net‐zero.