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Vol. 15 (2023)

Hierarchical Interconnected NiMoN with Large Specific Surface Area and High Mechanical Strength for Efficient and Stable Alkaline Water/Seawater Hydrogen Evolution

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01129-y
Minghui Ning
Department of Physics and Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (TcSUH), University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Yu Wang
Cullen College of Engineering and TcSUH, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Libo Wu
Cullen College of Engineering and TcSUH, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Lun Yang
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
Zhaoyang Chen
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and TcSUH, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Shaowei Song
Department of Physics and Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (TcSUH), University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Yan Yao
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and TcSUH, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Jiming Bao
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and TcSUH, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Shuo Chen
Department of Physics and Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (TcSUH), University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Zhifeng Ren
Department of Physics and Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (TcSUH), University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA

Corresponding Author: Zhifeng Ren

zren@uh.edu

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 15 (2023), Article Number: 157

Abstract

NiMo-based nanostructures are among the most active hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts under an alkaline environment due to their strong water dissociation ability. However, these nanostructures are vulnerable to the destructive effects of H2 production, especially at industry-standard current densities. Therefore, developing a strategy to improve their mechanical strength while maintaining or even further increasing the activity of these nanocatalysts is of great interest to both the research and industrial communities. Here, a hierarchical interconnected NiMoN (HW-NiMoN-2h) with a nanorod-nanowire morphology was synthesized based on a rational combination of hydrothermal and water bath processes. HW-NiMoN-2h is found to exhibit excellent HER activity due to the accomodation of abundant active sites on its hierarchical morphology, in which nanowires connect free-standing nanorods, concurrently strengthening its structural stability to withstand H2 production at 1 A cm−2. Seawater is an attractive feedstock for water electrolysis since H2 generation and water desalination can be addressed simultaneously in a single process. The HER performance of HW-NiMoN-2h in alkaline seawater suggests that the presence of Na+ ions interferes with the reation kinetics, thus lowering its activity slightly. However, benefiting from its hierarchical and interconnected characteristics, HW-NiMoN-2h is found to deliver outstanding HER activity of 1 A cm−2 at 130 mV overpotential and to exhibit excellent stability at 1 A cm−2 over 70 h in 1 M KOH seawater.


Highlights:


1 A hierarchical interconnected NiMoN (HW-NiMoN-2h) was successfully prepared based on a rational combination of hydrothermal and water bath processes.
2 HW-NiMoN-2h exhibited high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity due to its large specific surface area and good stability due to its enhanced mechanical strength.
3 In 1 M KOH seawater, HW-NiMoN-2h delivered current density of 1 A cm−2 for HER at an overpotential of 130 mV and showed excellent stability over 70 h at 1 A cm−2.

Keywords

Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) Nanoarchitecture NiMo catalysts Direct seawater electrolysis Nanostructural stability
Ning, Minghui, Yu Wang, Libo Wu, Lun Yang, Zhaoyang Chen, Shaowei Song, Yan Yao, Jiming Bao, Shuo Chen, and Zhifeng Ren. 2023. “Hierarchical Interconnected NiMoN With Large Specific Surface Area and High Mechanical Strength for Efficient and Stable Alkaline Water/Seawater Hydrogen Evolution”. Nano-Micro Letters 15 (June):157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01129-y.
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