Interfacial Carbon Makes Nano-Particulate RuO2 an Efficient, Stable, pH-Universal Catalyst for Splitting of Seawater

Fang Fang; Yong Wang; Le Wei Shen; Ge Tian; David Cahen; Yu Xuan Xiao; Jiang Bo Chen; Si Ming Wu; Liang He; Kenneth I. Ozoemena; Mark D. Symes; Xiao Yu Yang

doi:10.1002/smll.202203778

Interfacial Carbon Makes Nano-Particulate RuO₂ an Efficient, Stable, pH-Universal Catalyst for Splitting of Seawater

Fang Fang, Yong Wang, Le Wei Shen, Ge Tian, David Cahen, Yu Xuan Xiao, Jiang Bo Chen, Si Ming Wu, Liang He, Kenneth I. Ozoemena, Mark D. Symes, Xiao Yu Yang

Department of Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

An electrocatalyst composed of RuO₂ surrounded by interfacial carbon, is synthesized through controllable oxidization-calcination. This electrocatalyst provides efficient charge transfer, numerous active sites, and promising activity for pH-universal electrocatalytic overall seawater splitting. An electrolyzer with this catalyst gives current densities of 10 mA cm⁻² at a record low cell voltage of 1.52 V, and shows excellent durability at current densities of 10 mA cm⁻² for up to 100 h. Based on the results, a mechanism for the catalytic activity of the composite is proposed. Finally, a solar-driven system is assembled and used for overall seawater splitting, showing 95% Faraday efficiency.

Original language	English
Article number	2203778
Journal	Small
Volume	18
Issue number	42
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202203778
State	Published - 20 Oct 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.

Funding

F.F., Y.W., and L.-W.S. contributed equally to this work. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51861135313), Sino-German Centre's COVID-19 Related Bilateral Collaborative project (C-0046), National 111 project (B20002), Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (IRT_15R52), Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (JCYJ20210324142010029, GJHZ20210705143204014), Guangdong Province International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Projects (2020A0505100036), and Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2019A1515110435, 2021A1515111131, 2022A1515010137, 2022A1515010504). KIO thanks the NRF (113638) and South Africa's National Research Foundation through the SARChI Chair in Materials Electrochemistry and Energy Technologies (132739). MDS thanks the Royal Society for a University Research Fellowship (UF150104). DC acknowledges the support of the Prime Minister's Fuel-Choice Initiative, within the framework of the “Israel National Research Center for Electrochemical Propulsion” (INREP), funded by the Planning & Budgeting Committee of the Israel Council for Higher Education (CHE). The authors thank the Nanostructure Research Centre (NRC) for the S/TEM work. F.F., Y.W., and L.‐W.S. contributed equally to this work. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51861135313), Sino‐German Centre's COVID‐19 Related Bilateral Collaborative project (C‐0046), National 111 project (B20002), Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (IRT_15R52), Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (JCYJ20210324142010029, GJHZ20210705143204014), Guangdong Province International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Projects (2020A0505100036), and Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2019A1515110435, 2021A1515111131, 2022A1515010137, 2022A1515010504). KIO thanks the NRF (113638) and South Africa's National Research Foundation through the SARChI Chair in Materials Electrochemistry and Energy Technologies (132739). MDS thanks the Royal Society for a University Research Fellowship (UF150104). DC acknowledges the support of the Prime Minister's Fuel‐Choice Initiative, within the framework of the “Israel National Research Center for Electrochemical Propulsion” (INREP), funded by the Planning & Budgeting Committee of the Israel Council for Higher Education (CHE). The authors thank the Nanostructure Research Centre (NRC) for the S/TEM work.

Funders	Funder number
Guangdong Province International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Projects	2020A0505100036
Nanostructure Research Centre
Sino-German Centre
Division of Chemistry
Royal Society	UF150104
National Research Foundation	132739
National Natural Science Foundation of China	C‐0046, 51861135313
National Research Foundation of Korea	113638
Council for Higher Education
Science, Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality	JCYJ20210324142010029, GJHZ20210705143204014
Israel National Research Center for Electrochemical Propulsion
Higher Education Discipline Innovation Project	B20002
Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University	IRT_15R52
Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province	2019A1515110435, 2021A1515111131, 2022A1515010137, 2022A1515010504

Keywords

RuO -based electrocatalysts
directed transformation
hierarchical nanostructures
interface engineering
seawater splitting

Access to Document

10.1002/smll.202203778

Cite this

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title = "Interfacial Carbon Makes Nano-Particulate RuO2 an Efficient, Stable, pH-Universal Catalyst for Splitting of Seawater",

abstract = "An electrocatalyst composed of RuO2 surrounded by interfacial carbon, is synthesized through controllable oxidization-calcination. This electrocatalyst provides efficient charge transfer, numerous active sites, and promising activity for pH-universal electrocatalytic overall seawater splitting. An electrolyzer with this catalyst gives current densities of 10 mA cm−2 at a record low cell voltage of 1.52 V, and shows excellent durability at current densities of 10 mA cm−2 for up to 100 h. Based on the results, a mechanism for the catalytic activity of the composite is proposed. Finally, a solar-driven system is assembled and used for overall seawater splitting, showing 95% Faraday efficiency.",

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AU - Fang, Fang

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AU - Shen, Le Wei

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AU - Cahen, David

AU - Xiao, Yu Xuan

AU - Chen, Jiang Bo

AU - Wu, Si Ming

AU - He, Liang

AU - Ozoemena, Kenneth I.

AU - Symes, Mark D.

AU - Yang, Xiao Yu

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