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Advanced Earth-Abundant Catalysts for Energy Related Electrochemistry

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A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Electrocatalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 11784

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lichen Bai

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Guest Editor

Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institute of Max-Planck-Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Interests: electrocatalysis related to hydrogen and ammonia production; in situ spectroscopy; reaction mechanisms of electrocatalysis

Dr. Jun Gu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Interests: electrocatalysis; CO2 reduction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Electrochemical reactions, such as water splitting, CO₂ reduction, and nitrogen/nitrate reduction, provide a promising way to convert intermittent renewable energy resources in the form of clean fuels and various chemicals. These reactions typically involve multiple protons and electrons transfer, and thus the reaction kinetics are sluggish. The development of efficient and stable electrocatalysts is indispensable to make these reactions proceed with high efficiencies. Moreover, to realize viable and scalable energy storage, the catalysts should be composed of earth-abundant elements (i.e., the first row of transition metals) and easily fabricated.

On the other hand, despite great efforts to develop electrocatalysts in recent years, the nature of the active sites and the reaction mechanism are still not well understood, even for state-of-the-art electrocatalysts. Insight into the active sites and reaction mechanisms are essential to establish the structure–activity relationship and provide a guideline for the further development of more advanced electrocatalysts. Combining in situ or operando characterization techniques and electrochemical methods, as well as theoretical calculations, can provide comprehensive information on active sites and the catalytic process.

This Special Issue aims to compile a set of manuscripts about advanced electrocatalysts composed of earth-abundant elements for energy related electrochemical reactions, including hydrogen evolution, CO₂ reduction, ammonia production, and the related anodic reactions. Additionally, we are also interested in new mechanistic insights into catalysts using in situ/operando characterization. The combination of various techniques is expected.

Dr. Lichen Bai
Dr. Jun Gu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

water splitting
CO₂ reduction
ammonia production
electrocatalysts
reaction mechanisms
in situ/operando characterization

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3656 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Carbon-Conjugated Co Complexes as Model Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

by Qidi Sun, Qing Wang, Fuzhi Li, Yizhe Liu, Xintong Li, Zonglong Zhu, Jianlin Chen, Yung-Kang Peng and Jun Gu

Catalysts 2023, 13(2), 330; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13020330 - 2 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1429

Abstract

Single-atom catalysts are a family of heterogeneous electrocatalysts widely used in energy storage and conversion. The determination of the local structure of the active metal sites is challenging, which limits the establishment of the reliable structure-property relationship of single-atom catalysts. A carbon black-conjugated complex can be used as the model catalyst to probe the intrinsic activity of metal sites with certain local structures. In this work, we prepared carbon black-conjugated [Co(phenanthroline)Cl₂], [Co(o-phenylenediamine)Cl₂] and [Co(salophen)]. In these catalysts, the Co complexes with well-defined structures are anchored on the edge of carbon black by pyrazine moieties. The number of electrochemical accessible Co sites can be measured from the area of the redox peaks of pyrazine linkers in the cyclic voltammetry curve. Then, the intrinsic electrocatalytic activity of one Co site can be obtained. The catalytic performances of the three catalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline conditions were measured. Carbon black-conjugated [Co(salophen)] showed the highest intrinsic activity with the turnover frequency of 0.72 s⁻¹ at 0.75 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode. The strategy developed in this work can be used to explore and verify the possible local structure of active sites proposed for single-atom catalysts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Earth-Abundant Catalysts for Energy Related Electrochemistry)

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11 pages, 1934 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Promoting the Electrocatalytic Ethanol Oxidation Activity of Pt by Alloying with Cu

by Di Liu, Hui-Zi Huang, Zhejiaji Zhu, Jiani Li, Li-Wei Chen, Xiao-Ting Jing and An-Xiang Yin

Catalysts 2022, 12(12), 1562; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12121562 - 2 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1403

Abstract

The development and commercialization of direct ethanol fuel cells requires active and durable electro-catalysts towards the ethanol oxidation reactions (EOR). Rational composition and morphology control of Pt-based alloy nanocrystals can not only enhance their EOR reactivity but also reduce the consumption of precious Pt. Herein, PtCu nanocubes (NCs)/CB enclosed by well-defined (100) facets were prepared by solution synthesis, exhibiting much higher mass activity (4.96 A mg_Pt⁻¹) than PtCu nanoparticles (NPs)/CB with irregular shapes (3.26 A mg_Pt⁻¹) and commercial Pt/C (1.67 A mg_Pt⁻¹). CO stripping and in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) experiments indicate that the alloying of Cu enhanced the adsorption of ethanol, accelerated the subsequent oxidation of intermediate species, and increased the resistance to CO poisoning of PtCu NCs/CB, as compared with commercial Pt/C. Therefore, alloying Pt with earth-abundant Cu under rational composition and surface control can optimize its surface and electronic structures and represents a promising strategy to promote the performance of electro-catalysts while reduce the use of precious metals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Earth-Abundant Catalysts for Energy Related Electrochemistry)

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12 pages, 1776 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Interfacial Electron Redistribution of FeCo₂S₄/N-S-rGO Boosting Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysis Performance

by Wen-Lin Zhang, Shi-Meng Liu, Lu-Hua Zhang, Ting-Ting He and Feng-Shou Yu

Catalysts 2022, 12(9), 1002; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12091002 - 6 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1577

Abstract

Developing bifunctional catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is essential for the development of zinc–air batteries (ZABs), but several challenges remain in terms of bifunctional activity. FeCo₂S₄/N-S-rGO was prepared by in situ homogeneous growth of bimetallic sulfide FeCo₂S₄ on N, S-doped reduced graphene oxide. FeCo₂S₄/N-S-rGO exhibits a half-wave potential of 0.89 V for ORR and an overpotential of 0.26 V at 10 mA cm⁻² for OER, showing significantly bifunctional activity superior to Pt/C (0.85 V) and RuO₂ (0.41 V). Moreover, the FeCo₂S₄/N-S-rGO assembled ZAB shows a superior specific capacity and a power density of 259.13 mW cm⁻². It is demonstrated that the interfacial electron redistribution between FeCo₂S₄ nanoparticles and heteroatom-doped rGO matrix can efficiently improve the electrochemical performance of the catalyst. The results provide new insights into the preparation of high-capability composite catalysts combining transition metal sulfides with carbon materials for applications in ZABs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Earth-Abundant Catalysts for Energy Related Electrochemistry)

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10 pages, 3387 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Copper Incorporated Molybdenum Trioxide Nanosheet Realizing High-Efficient Performance for Hydrogen Production

by Pengzuo Chen, Weixia Huang, Kaixun Li, Dongmei Feng and Yun Tong

Catalysts 2022, 12(8), 895; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12080895 - 15 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1913

Abstract

The development of highly active non-precious metal electrocatalysts is crucial for advancing the practical application of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Doping engineering is one of the important strategies to optimize the electrocatalytic activity of electrocatalysts. Herein, we put forward a simple strategy to optimize the catalytic activity of MoO₃ material by incorporating the Cu atoms into the interlayer (denoted as Cu-MoO₃). The prepared Cu-MoO₃ nanosheet has a larger surface area, higher conductivity, and strong electron interactions, which contributes to optimal reaction kinetics of the HER process. As a result, the Cu-MoO₃ nanosheet only needs a small overpotential of 106 mV to reach the geometric current density of 10 mA cm⁻². In addition, it also delivers a low Tafel slope of 83 mV dec⁻¹, as well as high stability and Faraday efficiency. Notably, when using the Cu-MoO₃ as a cathode to construct the water electrolyzer, it only needs 1.55 V to reach the 10 mA cm⁻², indicating its promising application in hydrogen generation. This work provides a novel type of design strategy for a highly active electrocatalyst for an energy conversion system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Earth-Abundant Catalysts for Energy Related Electrochemistry)

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14 pages, 2356 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

High-Efficiency Oxygen Reduction to Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by Oxidized Mo₂TiC₂ MXene

by Ge Li, Bin Zhou, Ping Wang, Miao He, Zhao Fang, Xilin Yuan, Weiwei Wang, Xiaohua Sun and Zhenxing Li

Catalysts 2022, 12(8), 850; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12080850 - 2 Aug 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2982

Abstract

The two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e⁻ORR) pathway electrochemical synthesis to H₂O₂ has the advantages of low investment and environmental protection and is considered to be a promising green method. Herein, the oxidized Mo₂TiC₂ MXene (O-Mo₂TiC₂) was successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method as an electrocatalyst in electrocatalytic H₂O₂ production. The O-Mo₂TiC₂ achieved the 90% of H₂O₂ selectivity and 0.72 V vs. RHE of the onset potential. Moreover, O-Mo₂TiC₂ showed high charge transfer ability and long-term stable working ability of 40 h. This significantly enhanced electrocatalytic H₂O₂ production capacity is assigned the oxidation treatment of Mo₂TiC₂ MXene to generate more oxygen-containing groups in O-Mo₂TiC₂. This work provides a promising catalyst candidate for the electrochemical synthesis of H₂O₂. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Earth-Abundant Catalysts for Energy Related Electrochemistry)

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11 pages, 3163 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Boosting Oxygen Electrocatalysis by Combining Iron Nanoparticles with Single Atoms

by Bowen Liu, Sihong Wang, Fang Song and Qinglei Liu

Catalysts 2022, 12(6), 585; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12060585 - 27 May 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1861

Abstract

The development of high-performance non-noble metal-based oxygen electrocatalysts is crucial for the practical application of zinc–air batteries. Most of them suffer from low intrinsic activity and poor stability, failing to meet the needs of practical applications. Here, we report an efficient and durable bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst of Fe@Fe-SAC composite (SAC stands for single atoms on carbon). A facile and ease-to-scale-up process synthesizes it. Fe single-atom and Fe nanoparticles are anchored on nitrogen-doped porous carbon, with the latter encapsulated by the graphitic shell. It exhibits appealing activity and durability in a basic electrolyte, requiring a half-wave potential of 0.805 V for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and an overpotential of only 348 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Both activities are comparable to the corresponding benchmarking electrocatalyst of Pt/C for ORR and IrO₂ for OER. The superior activities are attributed to the strong electronic interaction between metal single-atom and nanoparticles. The favorable stability is ascribed to the physical encapsulation of carbon coatings on nanoparticles. This work presents a feasible scheme for designing and large-scale preparation of high-performance non-noble metal-based bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Earth-Abundant Catalysts for Energy Related Electrochemistry)

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