Abstract
Splitting water effectively to produce hydrogen (H 2 ) requires the development of non-noble-metal electrocatalysts that are able to make this reaction feasible and energy efficient. Herein, we present a novel "structure upgrading" synthetic approach for the design and synthesis of bio-inspired hydrogen-evolving electrocatalysts based on earth-abundant elements. Using g-C 3 N 4 - an inexpensive inorganic polymer material - as a host material for copper ions, novel Cu-doped g-C 3 N 4 materials with supramolecular structure, efficient electrocatalytic activity and modest overpotentials for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are synthesized. Compared with most single-molecule analogs of hydrogenases that work only in organic media, the supramolecular Cu-doped g-C 3 N 4 materials can serve as heterogeneous electrocatalysts with greater stability and good catalytic activity for HER in aqueous media. The materials afford a current density as high as 10 mA cm -2 at an overpotential as low as 390 mV, and work well in acidic media for, at least, 43 h.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 221-228 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Applied Surface Science |
Volume | 357 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 1 2015 |
Keywords
- Carbon nitride
- Copper ions
- Electrocatalysis
- H evolution
- Water splitting
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemistry(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Surfaces and Interfaces
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films