Metal Doping Regulates Electrocatalysts Restructuring during Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Maoyu Wang; Brian A Muhich; Zizhou He; Zhenzhen Yang; Dongqi Yang; Marcos Lucero; Hoan Kim Khai Nguyen; George E Sterbinsky; Liney Árnadóttir; Hua Zhou; Ling Fei; Zhenxing Feng

doi:10.1002/cssc.202400332

Metal Doping Regulates Electrocatalysts Restructuring during Oxygen Evolution Reaction

ChemSusChem. 2024 May 10:e202400332. doi: 10.1002/cssc.202400332. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Maoyu Wang¹, Brian A Muhich², Zizhou He³, Zhenzhen Yang⁴, Dongqi Yang⁵, Marcos Lucero⁶, Hoan Kim Khai Nguyen⁶, George E Sterbinsky⁷, Liney Árnadóttir⁸, Hua Zhou⁷, Ling Fei³, Zhenxing Feng⁹

Affiliations

¹ Oregon State University, Chemical Engineering, 9700 S Cass Ave, United States, 60439, Lemont, UNITED STATES.
² Oregon State University, Chemical Engineering, 105 SW 26th Street, F202, United States, 97330, corvallis, UNITED STATES.
³ University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Chemical Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 70504, lafayette, UNITED STATES.
⁴ Argonne National Laboratory, Chemical and Science Division, 9700 S Cass Ave, United States, 60439, Lemont, UNITED STATES.
⁵ Oregon State University, Chemical Engineering, 105 SW 26th Street, United States, 97330, Corvallis, UNITED STATES.
⁶ Oregon State University, Chemical Engineering, 105 SW 26th Street, United States, 97331, Corvallis, UNITED STATES.
⁷ Argonne National Laboratory, X-ray Science Division, 9700 S Cass Ave, United States, 60439, Lemont, UNITED STATES.
⁸ Oregon State University, Chemical Engineering, 105 SW 26th Street, 97331, Corvallis, UNITED STATES.
⁹ Oregon State University, School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, 216D Johnson Hall, 105 SW 26th Street, 97331, Corvallis, UNITED STATES.

PMID: 38728628
DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202400332

Abstract

High-efficiency and low-cost catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are critical for electrochemical water splitting to generate hydrogen, which is a clean fuel for sustainable energy conversion and storage. Among the emerging OER catalysts, transition metal dichalcogenides have exhibited superior activity compared to commercial standards such as RuO2, but inferior stability due to uncontrolled restructuring with OER. In this study, we create bimetallic sulfide catalysts by adapting the atomic ratio of Ni and Co in CoxNi1-xSy electrocatalysts to investigate the intricate restructuring processes. Surface-sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and bulk-sensitive X-ray absorption spectroscopy confirmed the favorable restructuring of transition metal sulfide material following OER processes. Our results indicate that a small amount of Ni substitution can reshape the Co local electronic structure, which regulates the restructuring process to optimize the balance between OER activity and stability. This work represents a significant advancement in the development of efficient and noble metal-free OER electrocatalysts through a doping-regulated restructuring approach.

Keywords: Electrocatalyst, Restructuring, Nanocluster, X-ray absorption Spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.