Issue 4, 2017

Rh–Ag–Si ternary composites: highly active hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts over Pt–Ag–Si

Abstract

Hydrogen production with the aid of electrocatalysis is a critical component for several developing clean-energy technologies. Such a renewable energy depends heavily on the choice of cheap and efficient catalysts for hydrogen evolution, which has still been a challenge until now. In this work, the theoretical calculation indicates that Rh–Ag–Si ternary catalysts exhibit more active hydrogen evolution performance than Pt–Ag–Si because the migration activation energies of H atoms from Rh(111) to Si are lower than those from Pt(111) to Si via the Ag surface. This simulation was confirmed by the experimental results: Rh–Ag/SiNW (or Pt–Ag/SiNW) catalysts were prepared by directly reducing Rh (or Pt) and Ag ions with Si–H bonds. The Rh–Ag/SiNW-2 with the optimal mass ratio of 2.3 : 23.4 : 74.3 (Rh : Ag : Si) exhibited a lower Tafel slope (51 mV dec−1) and a larger exchange current density (87.1 × 10−6 A cm−2) than the Pt–Ag/SiNW. In addition, the mass activity of Rh–Ag/SiNW-2 at an overpotential of 0.2 V (11.5 mA μgRh−1) is 12.0, 5.0 and 3.3 fold higher than that of Rh–Ag (0.96 mA μgRh−1), Pt–Ag/SiNW (2.3 mA μgPt−1) and 40 wt% Pt/C (3.5 mA μgPt−1) catalysts, respectively. Moreover, the Rh–Ag/SiNW nanocatalysts had good stability in acidic media. The results presented herein may offer a novel and effective methodology for the designing of cost-efficient and environmentally friendly catalysts for electrochemical fields.

Graphical abstract: Rh–Ag–Si ternary composites: highly active hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts over Pt–Ag–Si

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 nov 2016
Accepted
11 dec 2016
First published
04 jan 2017

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017,5, 1623-1628

Rh–Ag–Si ternary composites: highly active hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts over Pt–Ag–Si

B. Jiang, Y. Sun, F. Liao, W. Shen, H. Lin, H. Wang and M. Shao, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017, 5, 1623 DOI: 10.1039/C6TA09619K

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