Issue 11, 2021

Boosting eco-friendly hydrogen generation by urea-assisted water electrolysis using spinel M2GeO4 (M = Fe, Co) as an active electrocatalyst

Abstract

To enhance the efficiency of hydrogen production, bimetallic oxides with spinel structures, M2GeO4 (M = Fe, Co), were synthesized via a facile one-pot hydrothermal method and were used as electrocatalysts for urea-assisted water electrolysis. In alkaline electrolyte with urea, Fe2GeO4, which was used as the anode in the electrolysis cell, exhibited a lower potential (1.53 V (vs. RHE)) and a smaller Tafel slope (76 mV dec−1) Co2GeO4 (1.65 V (vs. RHE), 79 mV dec−1), indicating that Fe2GeO4 reduced the overall input potential to produce H2. The superior performance of Fe2GeO4 in the urea-added water electrolysis was attributed to the higher oxidation state of its metal cations, larger electrochemical active surface area, and lower charge transfer resistance than those of Co2GeO4. Hence, Fe2GeO4 showed 5.49 times higher H2 peak intensity than Co2GeO4, indicating higher efficiency of H2 production.

Graphical abstract: Boosting eco-friendly hydrogen generation by urea-assisted water electrolysis using spinel M2GeO4 (M = Fe, Co) as an active electrocatalyst

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
09 juin 2021
Accepted
13 sept. 2021
First published
13 sept. 2021

Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2021,8, 3110-3121

Boosting eco-friendly hydrogen generation by urea-assisted water electrolysis using spinel M2GeO4 (M = Fe, Co) as an active electrocatalyst

H. Choi, S. Surendran, D. Kim, Y. Lim, J. Lim, J. Park, J. K. Kim, M. Han and U. Sim, Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2021, 8, 3110 DOI: 10.1039/D1EN00529D

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