skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: A Stable Graphitic, Nanocarbon-Encapsulated, Cobalt-Rich Core-Shell Electrocatalyst as an Oxygen Electrode in a Water Electrolyzer

Journal Article · · Advanced Energy Materials
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [2]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Department of Energy Science & Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988 Republic of Korea
  2. Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99354 USA

The oxygen electrode plays a vital role in the successful commercialization of renewable energy technologies, such as fuel cells and water electrolyzers. In this study, the Prussian blue analogue-derived nitrogen-doped nanocarbon (NC) layer-trapped, cobalt-rich, core–shell nanostructured electrocatalysts (core–shell Co@NC) are reported. The electrode exhibits an improved oxygen evolution activity and stability compared to that of the commercial noble electrodes. The core–shell Co@NC-loaded nickel foam exhibits a lower overpotential of 330 mV than that of IrO2 on nickel foam at 10 mA cm-2 and has a durability of over 400 h. The commercial Pt/C cathode-assisted, core–shell Co@NC–anode water electrolyzer delivers 10 mA cm-2 at a cell voltage of 1.59 V, which is 70 mV lower than that of the IrO2–anode water electrolyzer. Over the long-term chronopotentiometry durability testing, the IrO2–anode water electrolyzer shows a cell voltage loss of 230 mV (14%) at 95 h, but the loss of the core–shell Co@NC–anode electrolyzer is only 60 mV (4%) even after 350 h cell-operation. The findings indicate that the Prussian blue analogue is a class of inorganic nanoporous materials that can be used to derive metal-rich, core–shell electrocatalysts with enriched active centers.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1439684
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-127978; GT0200000
Journal Information:
Advanced Energy Materials, Vol. 8, Issue 14; ISSN 1614-6832
Publisher:
Wiley
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (74)

Carbonized Nanoscale Metal–Organic Frameworks as High Performance Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction journal November 2014
Metal–Organic Frameworks for Electrocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide journal October 2015
Atomic cobalt on nitrogen-doped graphene for hydrogen generation journal October 2015
Hierarchical NiCo 2 S 4 Nanowire Arrays Supported on Ni Foam: An Efficient and Durable Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Oxygen and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions journal April 2016
Hydrogen Storage in the Dehydrated Prussian Blue Analogues M 3 [Co(CN) 6 ] 2 (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) journal May 2005
Coupling multiphase-Fe and hierarchical N-doped graphitic carbon as trifunctional electrocatalysts by supramolecular preorganization of precursors journal January 2017
Pore-Engineered Metal–Organic Frameworks with Excellent Adsorption of Water and Fluorocarbon Refrigerant for Cooling Applications journal July 2017
Oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions on Ru, RuO 2 , Ir, and IrO 2 thin film electrodes in acidic and alkaline electrolytes: A comparative study on activity and stability journal March 2016
A metal–organic framework-derived bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst journal January 2016
Nitrogen-Doped Graphene on Transition Metal Substrates as Efficient Bifunctional Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction and Oxygen Evolution Reactions journal June 2017
Inexpensive electrochemical synthesis of nickel iron sulphides on nickel foam: super active and ultra-durable electrocatalysts for alkaline electrolyte membrane water electrolysis journal January 2016
Recent Progress in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Applications in Electrocatalytic and Photocatalytic Water Splitting journal January 2017
Au/Ni12P5 core/shell single-crystal nanoparticles as oxygen evolution reaction catalyst journal April 2017
Interaction of Cobalt Nanoparticles with Oxygen- and Nitrogen-Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes and Impact on Nitrobenzene Hydrogenation Catalysis journal April 2014
Metal–Organic Framework Thin Films as Platforms for Atomic Layer Deposition of Cobalt Ions To Enable Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation journal December 2015
Active and stable carbon nanotube/nanoparticle composite electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction journal May 2013
A host-guest approach to fabricate metallic cobalt nanoparticles embedded in silk-derived N-doped carbon fibers for efficient hydrogen evolution journal April 2017
M 3 C (M: Fe, Co, Ni) Nanocrystals Encased in Graphene Nanoribbons: An Active and Stable Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions journal June 2015
First-Principles Design of Graphene-Based Active Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Reactions in the Aprotic Li–O2 Battery journal June 2016
Mesoporous Metal–Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Electrocatalysts for Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction journal October 2013
Cover Picture: Asymmetric Catalytic Aza-Diels-Alder/Ring-Closing Cascade Reaction Forming Bicyclic Azaheterocycles by Trienamine Catalysis (Chem. Eur. J. 1/2017) journal December 2016
Nanocarbon Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction in Alkaline Media for Advanced Energy Conversion and Storage journal January 2014
Three-Dimensional Smart Catalyst Electrode for Oxygen Evolution Reaction journal July 2015
Enhancing Activity for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction: The Beneficial Interaction of Gold with Manganese and Cobalt Oxides journal November 2014
A highly active and stable IrO x /SrIrO 3 catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction journal September 2016
Highly Active and Durable Non-Precious Metal Catalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Acidic Medium journal January 2016
Metal−Organic Framework-Derived Nitrogen-Doped Core-Shell-Structured Porous Fe/Fe 3 C@C Nanoboxes Supported on Graphene Sheets for Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reactions journal April 2014
Metal-Organic-Framework-Derived Hybrid Carbon Nanocages as a Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction and Evolution journal June 2017
Hollow Spheres of Iron Carbide Nanoparticles Encased in Graphitic Layers as Oxygen Reduction Catalysts journal February 2014
Interfacial Charge Carrier Dynamics in Core−Shell Au-CdS Nanocrystals journal June 2010
Solar Energy Supply and Storage for the Legacy and Nonlegacy Worlds journal November 2010
Construction of hierarchically porous graphitized carbon-supported NiFe layered double hydroxides with a core–shell structure as an enhanced electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction journal January 2017
XPS analysis of new lithium cobalt oxide thin-films before and after lithium deintercalation journal March 2001
Redox and electrochemical water splitting catalytic properties of hydrated metal oxide modified electrodes journal January 2013
Single layer graphene encapsulating non-precious metals as high-performance electrocatalysts for water oxidation journal January 2016
Prussian Blue Analogues for CO2 and SO2 Capture and Separation Applications journal June 2010
MOF-derived self-assembled ZnO/Co 3 O 4 nanocomposite clusters as high-performance anodes for lithium-ion batteries journal January 2015
Ni 3 Fe-N Doped Carbon Sheets as a Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Air Cathodes journal September 2016
Fluorocarbon adsorption in hierarchical porous frameworks journal July 2014
Cobalt nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped carbon as a bifunctional catalyst for water electrolysis journal January 2014
Cobalt-Embedded Nitrogen-Rich Carbon Nanotubes Efficiently Catalyze Hydrogen Evolution Reaction at All pH Values journal March 2014
Identification of catalytic sites for oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution in N-doped graphene materials: Development of highly efficient metal-free bifunctional electrocatalyst journal April 2016
Cobalt Sulfide Nanoparticles Grown on Nitrogen and Sulfur Codoped Graphene Oxide: An Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Reactions journal May 2015
Elucidating the local interfacial structure of highly photoresponsive carbon nanotubes/PbS-QDs based nanohybrids grown by pulsed laser deposition journal January 2016
Iron Encapsulated within Pod-like Carbon Nanotubes for Oxygen Reduction Reaction journal December 2012
Facile Synthesis of Surfactant-Free Au Cluster/Graphene Hybrids for High-Performance Oxygen Reduction Reaction journal August 2012
Review on Recent Progress in Nitrogen-Doped Graphene: Synthesis, Characterization, and Its Potential Applications journal April 2012
Trends in activity for the water electrolyser reactions on 3d M(Ni,Co,Fe,Mn) hydr(oxy)oxide catalysts journal May 2012
Bi-Functional Iron-Only Electrodes for Efficient Water Splitting with Enhanced Stability through In Situ Electrochemical Regeneration journal December 2015
Spinel-type lithium cobalt oxide as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions journal May 2014
Bimetallic Metal-Organic Frameworks for Controlled Catalytic Graphitization of Nanoporous Carbons journal July 2016
Ultrathin metal–organic framework nanosheets for electrocatalytic oxygen evolution journal November 2016
Metal–organic framework-derived porous Mn 1.8 Fe 1.2 O 4 nanocubes with an interconnected channel structure as high-performance anodes for lithium ion batteries journal January 2015
“Metal-Free” Catalytic Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Heteroatom-Doped Graphene is Caused by Trace Metal Impurities journal November 2013
Probing the Metal-Support Interaction in Carbon-Supported Catalysts by using Electron Microscopy journal October 2015
Metal-organic frameworks: Evolved oxygen evolution catalysts journal November 2016
Activation of surface oxygen sites on an iridium-based model catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction journal December 2016
New Heterometallic Zirconium Metalloporphyrin Frameworks and Their Heteroatom-Activated High-Surface-Area Carbon Derivatives journal February 2015
Stability investigations of electrocatalysts on the nanoscale journal January 2012
Metallic Cobalt@Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanocomposites: Carbon-Shell Regulation toward Efficient Bi-Functional Electrocatalysis journal October 2017
Metal-semiconductor-transition observed in Bi 2 Ca(Sr, Ba) 2 Co 2 O 8+δ single crystals journal July 2014
NiFe-Based (Oxy)hydroxide Catalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Non-Acidic Electrolytes journal July 2016
Metal-Organic Framework-Based Nanomaterials for Electrocatalysis journal May 2016
Investigation of the Interactions and Bonding between Carbon and Group VIII Metals at the Atomic Scale journal February 2016
Carbon–metal nanosheets from the water–hexane interface journal January 2015
Gold-supported cerium-doped NiOx catalysts for water oxidation journal April 2016
Oxygen reduction reaction: A framework for success journal May 2016
Nickel selenide supported on nickel foam as an efficient and durable non-precious electrocatalyst for the alkaline water electrolysis journal April 2017
Highly active and durable non-precious-metal catalysts encapsulated in carbon nanotubes for hydrogen evolution reaction journal January 2014
Cobalt Nanoparticles Embedded in Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction journal April 2015
Li–O2 and Li–S batteries with high energy storage journal January 2012
On the Electrolytic Stability of Iron-Nickel Oxides journal April 2017
Active Site Structures in Nitrogen-Doped Carbon-Supported Cobalt Catalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction journal November 2016
Influence of Particle Size Distribution on the Performance of Ionic Liquid-based Electrochemical Double Layer Capacitors journal February 2016

Similar Records

A Stable Graphitic, Nanocarbon-Encapsulated, Cobalt-Rich Core-Shell Electrocatalyst as an Oxygen Electrode in a Water Electrolyzer
Journal Article · Thu Jan 11 00:00:00 EST 2018 · Advanced Energy Materials · OSTI ID:1439684

A Stable Graphitic, Nanocarbon‐Encapsulated, Cobalt‐Rich Core–Shell Electrocatalyst as an Oxygen Electrode in a Water Electrolyzer
Journal Article · Thu Jan 11 00:00:00 EST 2018 · Advanced Energy Materials · OSTI ID:1439684

Highly active oxygen evolution integrated with efficient CO2 to CO electroreduction
Journal Article · Wed Nov 13 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · OSTI ID:1439684

Related Subjects