In situ coupling of lignin‐derived carbon‐encapsulated CoFe‐Co_xN heterojunction for oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract

Exploring highly active and stable electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for developing water splitting and rechargeable metal-air batteries.In this study, a hybrid electrocatalyst of CoFe alloy and Co x N heterojunction encapsulated and anchored in N-doped carbon support (CoFe-Co x N@NC) was in situ coupled via the pyrolysis of a novel coordination polymer derived from lignin biomacromolecule. CoFe-Co x N@NC exhibited outstanding OER activity with a low overpotential of 270 mV at 10 mA cm À2 and stability with an increment of 20 mV, comparable to commercial Ir/C. DFT calculations showed that Co x N and N-doped graphitic encapsulation can reduce the binding strength between *O and CoFe alloy, limit metal leaching and agglomeration, and improve electron transfer efficiency, considerably enhancing the OER activity and stability. In situ coupling approach for preparing alloy and nitride heterojunctions on N-doped lignin-derived carbon offers a promising and universal catalyst design for developing renewable energy conversion technologies.

Anchoring hydroxyl intermediate on NiCo(OOH)x nanosheets to enable highly efficient electrooxidation of benzyl alcohols

“…Attributing to the unique 2D layered structure and interlayer anions (OH À ), the transition metal hydroxides with tunable subjectobject interaction had attracted enormous attention. [19][20][21][22] Different nanostructured transition metal hydroxides with the large space structure, more active center and controllable the electronic structure, have been designed to achieve good electrooxidation performance and selectivity. 23,24 Ming's group reported the porous M(OH) 2 (M = Ni or Co) nanosheets/Ni foam electrodes achieved a large current density of 100 mA cm À2 at a potential of 1.33 V RHE .…”

Lignin-Derived CoO-Ni7P3@C Heterojunction Electrocatalysts with Excellent Oxygen Evolution Reaction Properties Prepared by a Simple and Scale-Up In Situ Method

“…Transition metal oxides, nitrides, phosphides, and their derivatives have received increasing attention as OER catalysts because they exhibit high electrocatalytic activity by modulating the structure and composition. − Among them, transition metal (such as Ni, Co, and Fe) phosphides (TMPs) with high activity and good kinetics are catalytic substances with theoretically good OER activity and have the potential to replace traditional noble metals with low cost, high efficiency, and durability. For example, Zhang et al prepared a novel trimetallic CoNi-CuHP nanosheet array, which has extremely high catalytic activity.…”

Highly Efficient Conversion of Lignin into Diethyl Maleate Catalyzed by Molybdenum-Based Hybrid Catalysts

“…Therefore, there is a pressing need for the transformation of lignin using low-cost heterogeneous catalysts. Nitrogen-doped carbon-loaded metal materials have garnered significant interest due to their high concentration of oxygen-containing groups, excellent dispersibility, easy modification reactivity, and favorable properties. − Moreover, the addition of N dopants can improve the catalytic activity of nitrogen-doped carbon-supported metal catalysts by enhancing the conductivity between metal sites and carbon substrates …”