One-atom-thick hexagonal boron nitride co-catalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution reactions
Abstract Developing efficient (co-)catalysts with optimized interfacial mass and charge transport properties is essential for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction (OER) via electrochemical water splitting. Here we report one-atom-thick hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) as an attractive co-catalyst with en...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42696-3 |
| _version_ | 1797636787739295744 |
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| author | Yizhen Lu Bixuan Li Na Xu Zhihua Zhou Yu Xiao Yu Jiang Teng Li Sheng Hu Yongji Gong Yang Cao |
| author_facet | Yizhen Lu Bixuan Li Na Xu Zhihua Zhou Yu Xiao Yu Jiang Teng Li Sheng Hu Yongji Gong Yang Cao |
| author_sort | Yizhen Lu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Developing efficient (co-)catalysts with optimized interfacial mass and charge transport properties is essential for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction (OER) via electrochemical water splitting. Here we report one-atom-thick hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) as an attractive co-catalyst with enhanced OER efficiency. Various electrocatalytic electrodes are encapsulated with centimeter-sized hBN films which are dense and impermeable so that only the hBN surfaces are directly exposed to reactive species. For example, hBN covered Ni-Fe (oxy)hydroxide anodes show an ultralow Tafel slope of ~30 mV dec−1 with improved reaction current by about 10 times, reaching ~2000 mA cm−2 (at an overpotential of ~490 mV) for over 150 h. The mass activity of hBN co-catalyst is found exceeding that of commercialized catalysts by up to five orders of magnitude. Using isotope experiments and simulations, we attribute the results to the adsorption of oxygen-containing intermediates at the insulating co-catalyst, where localized electrons facilitate the deprotonation processes at electrodes. Little impedance to electron transfer is observed from hBN film encapsulation due to its ultimate thickness. Therefore, our work also offers insights into mechanisms of interfacial reactions at the very first atomic layer of electrodes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:40:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ec2991c46f424f55b2ecb4792f6bc263 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:40:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-ec2991c46f424f55b2ecb4792f6bc2632023-11-05T12:23:47ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232023-11-011411810.1038/s41467-023-42696-3One-atom-thick hexagonal boron nitride co-catalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution reactionsYizhen Lu0Bixuan Li1Na Xu2Zhihua Zhou3Yu Xiao4Yu Jiang5Teng Li6Sheng Hu7Yongji Gong8Yang Cao9State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen UniversitySchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang UniversityState Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen UniversitySchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang UniversityState Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen UniversityAbstract Developing efficient (co-)catalysts with optimized interfacial mass and charge transport properties is essential for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction (OER) via electrochemical water splitting. Here we report one-atom-thick hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) as an attractive co-catalyst with enhanced OER efficiency. Various electrocatalytic electrodes are encapsulated with centimeter-sized hBN films which are dense and impermeable so that only the hBN surfaces are directly exposed to reactive species. For example, hBN covered Ni-Fe (oxy)hydroxide anodes show an ultralow Tafel slope of ~30 mV dec−1 with improved reaction current by about 10 times, reaching ~2000 mA cm−2 (at an overpotential of ~490 mV) for over 150 h. The mass activity of hBN co-catalyst is found exceeding that of commercialized catalysts by up to five orders of magnitude. Using isotope experiments and simulations, we attribute the results to the adsorption of oxygen-containing intermediates at the insulating co-catalyst, where localized electrons facilitate the deprotonation processes at electrodes. Little impedance to electron transfer is observed from hBN film encapsulation due to its ultimate thickness. Therefore, our work also offers insights into mechanisms of interfacial reactions at the very first atomic layer of electrodes.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42696-3 |
| spellingShingle | Yizhen Lu Bixuan Li Na Xu Zhihua Zhou Yu Xiao Yu Jiang Teng Li Sheng Hu Yongji Gong Yang Cao One-atom-thick hexagonal boron nitride co-catalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution reactions Nature Communications |
| title | One-atom-thick hexagonal boron nitride co-catalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution reactions |
| title_full | One-atom-thick hexagonal boron nitride co-catalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution reactions |
| title_fullStr | One-atom-thick hexagonal boron nitride co-catalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution reactions |
| title_full_unstemmed | One-atom-thick hexagonal boron nitride co-catalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution reactions |
| title_short | One-atom-thick hexagonal boron nitride co-catalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution reactions |
| title_sort | one atom thick hexagonal boron nitride co catalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution reactions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42696-3 |
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