Affiliation:
1. College of Materials and Chemical Engineering Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nonmetallic Crystalline and Energy Conversion Materials China Three Gorges University Yichang 443002 P. R. China
2. Hubei Three Gorges Laboratory Yichang Hubei 443007 P. R. China
3. Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy School of Environment and Science Gold Coast Campus Griffith University Gold Coast Queensland 4222 Australia
Abstract
AbstractDesigning efficient multifunctional electrocatalysts for water and urea splitting to produce green hydrogen presents a significant yet worthwhile challenge. Herein, the morphology and electronic structure of cobalt metaphosphate (Co2P4O12) by vanadium (V) doping, resulting in improved electrocatalytic activity and stability for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and urea oxidation reaction (UOR) are simultaneously regulated. Theory calculations show that V‐doped Co2P4O12 (V‐Co2P4O12) can boost the kinetics of catalytic reactions by optimizing the d‐band center of Co atoms and the binding strength of intermediates, as well as enhancing the density of states. Moreover, the doping of V into Co2P4O12 crystalline structure benefits the formation of a thicker amorphous layer during the catalytic process, which could enhance its alkaline corrosion resistance and stability. Additionally, the multilevel nanostructures of V‐Co2P4O12 provide rich active sites for catalytic reactions. As a result, a two‐electrode electrolyzer assembled by V‐doped Co2P4O12 delivers low voltages for overall water and urea splitting. The superior performance suggests that the proposed V‐doping strategy is a promising way to regulate electrocatalytic activity for catering to green electrocatalytic applications.
Funder
Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province
Higher Education Discipline Innovation Project
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Subject
Electrochemistry,Condensed Matter Physics,Biomaterials,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials