Issue 7, 2023

RE-doped (RE = La, Ce and Er) Ni2P porous nanostructures as promising electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

The construction of an efficient non-noble-metal electrocatalyst towards alkaline hydrogen evolution is challenging but in great demand. The fabrication of a porous nanostructure and heteroatom doping are two productive strategies for developing effective electrocatalysts. In this contribution, we report the preparation of La, Ce and Er-doped Ni2P porous nanostructures through a facile water bath method and phosphorization strategy. The Er-doped Ni2P porous nanostructure exhibits superb hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytic performance under alkaline conditions with a low cathodic overpotential of 87 mV (10 mA cm−2, glassy carbon) and a small Tafel slope of 65.4 mV dec−1. It also displays excellent electrochemical stability in alkaline electrolytes. First-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations disclosed the mechanism of the alkaline HER catalysis. For pristine Ni2P, the P site acts as the optimal active site with the Gibbs free energy of H* absorption (ΔGH*) of 0.48 eV. After La, Ce and Er are doped, respectively, the P site is still the active center of the three doping systems. Notably, the ΔGH* value is reduced from 0.48 eV to 0.23 eV (P site in La-doped Ni2P), 0.20 eV (P site in Ce-doped Ni2P) and 0.18 eV (P site in Er-doped Ni2P), suggesting that doping with La, Ce and Er atoms plays a crucial role in decreasing the H* absorption energy on optimal P sites and the optimum active site with a smaller ΔGH* can expedite the charge transfer rate for H* midbody and H2 generation. This is particularly noticeable for Er doping, which is in accordance with the experimental result.

Graphical abstract: RE-doped (RE = La, Ce and Er) Ni2P porous nanostructures as promising electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
30 Nov 2022
Accepted
10 Jan 2023
First published
11 Jan 2023

Dalton Trans., 2023,52, 1895-1901

RE-doped (RE = La, Ce and Er) Ni2P porous nanostructures as promising electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

Q. Wang, J. Liu, X. Yan, T. Li, J. Li, Y. Wang, L. Yan and L. Cao, Dalton Trans., 2023, 52, 1895 DOI: 10.1039/D2DT03850A

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