Issue 24, 2019

Co,N-Codoped porous vanadium nitride nanoplates as superior bifunctional electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions

Abstract

Developing efficient and low-cost bifunctional electrocatalysts as candidates for Pt-based materials to satisfy commercial applications in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is still very challenging. Herein, we show that Co,N-codoped porous vanadium nitride (VCoN) nanoplates are successfully synthesized via a simple one-step pyrolysis protocol without the use of NH3 gas. We also demonstrate that the crystallization, surface chemical state and porosity of vanadium nitride are well modulated by inventively using Co dopants as structural inducers. The resulting VCoN material exhibits an excellent catalytic activity towards the HER in alkaline media, with an extremely low onset potential of −0.03 V, an overpotential of 179 mV at 10 mA cm−2, and a remarkable durability for over 100 h. Moreover, it shows a superior ORR performance, which compares favorably with commercial 20% Pt/C, exhibiting an onset potential of ∼1.02 V, a half-wave potential of ∼0.91 V and a weak potential shift (−5 mV) after 2000 cycles at 1600 rpm in 0.1 M KOH. Such excellent electrocatalytic performance primarily contributes to the unique structural features of the heteroatom N (pyrrolic and graphitic N) and Co codoping in favor of improving the electrical conductivity and the high porosity contributing to exposing numerous catalytic active sites.

Graphical abstract: Co,N-Codoped porous vanadium nitride nanoplates as superior bifunctional electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 Mar 2019
Accepted
19 May 2019
First published
20 May 2019

Nanoscale, 2019,11, 11542-11549

Co,N-Codoped porous vanadium nitride nanoplates as superior bifunctional electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions

N. Zhang, L. Cao, L. Feng, J. Huang, K. Kajiyoshi, C. Li, Q. Liu, D. Yang and J. He, Nanoscale, 2019, 11, 11542 DOI: 10.1039/C9NR02637A

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