A biomass derived jute carbon integrated FeCoNi alloy as a robust catalyst for alkaline water splitting

Abstract

Sustainable energy solutions demand efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions. This study presents an innovative approach of utilizing inexpensive biomass, specifically jute carbon incorporating a tri-metallic alloy of iron, cobalt and nickel (JCM) as a bifunctional catalyst for high-performance alkaline water splitting. The JCM catalyst demonstrates superior electrocatalytic activity, with significantly reduced overpotentials and excellent long-term stability. Its hierarchical porous structure facilitates the dispersion of alloyed metal nanoparticles, improving mass transport and charge transfer. Electrochemical testing reveals that the JCM catalyst has the lowest charge transfer resistance and higher double layer capacitance, contributing to its superior bifunctional performance. It achieves a low overpotential of 123 mV for the HER and 230 mV for the OER with promising HER and OER stability while maintaining consistent performance for over 100 hours, while in a real laboratory electrolyzer, it maintains a satisfactory operational stability for 24 hours. Density functional theory simulations indicate an optimal hydrogen adsorption energy (ΔG = −3.67 eV), supporting its promising HER performance. These findings suggest that jute-derived, metal alloy-integrated porous carbon is a robust, efficient, and cost-effective bifunctional electrocatalyst for alkaline water splitting, making it a promising candidate for sustainable and scalable renewable energy applications.