Hollow Chevrel-Phase NiMo3 S4 for Hydrogen Evolution in Alkaline Electrolytes

Jun Jiang; Minrui Gao; Wenchao Sheng; Yushan Yan

doi:10.1002/anie.201607651

Hollow Chevrel-Phase NiMo₃ S₄ for Hydrogen Evolution in Alkaline Electrolytes

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2016 Dec 5;55(49):15240-15245. doi: 10.1002/anie.201607651. Epub 2016 Nov 2.

Authors

Jun Jiang¹, Minrui Gao², Wenchao Sheng¹, Yushan Yan¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
² Division of Nanomaterials & Chemistry, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.

PMID: 27805782
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201607651

Abstract

Electrochemical water splitting to generate molecular hydrogen requires catalysts that are cheap, active, and stable, particularly for alkaline electrolyzers, where the cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction is slower in base than in acid even on platinum. Herein, we describe the synthesis of new hollow Chevrel-phase NiMo₃ S₄ and its alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance: onset potential of -59 mV, Tafel slope of 98 mV per decade, and exchange current density of 3.9×10^-2 mA cm^-2 . This Chevrel-phase chalcogenide also demonstrates outstanding long-term stability under harsh HER cycling conditions. Chevrel-phase nanomaterials show promise as efficient, low-cost catalysts for alkaline electrolyzers.

Keywords: NiMo3S4; alkaline hydrogen evolution; chevrel phase; electrocatalysts; water splitting.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't