Nanoporous TiCN with High Specific Surface Area for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Transition-metal nitrides have attracted significant attention because of their unique electronic and surface properties and superior chemical and mechanical stability. Although various metal nitrides nanostructures have been realized, it remains challenging to introduce porosity and the high specific surface in these nanostructures, but they are required to expand the application possibility of these materials in energy storage and conversion. Here, we report the preparation of nanoporous titanium carbonitride using a high-nitrogen-containing mesoporous carbon nitride, C3N6 (MCN-4), as a reactive template and titanium tetrachloride as the titanium source. Nitrogen adsorption and microscopic results reveal that the prepared samples are highly nanoporous in nature, and the optimized sample exhibits a specific surface area of 700 m2/g and a high specific pore volume of 1.3 cm3/g. With the slight variation of the amount of MCN-4 in the synthesis mixture, the composition and the crystal structure of the nanoporous titanium carbonitride can be finely controlled. Near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure and Raman spectroscopic analyses of these samples confirm that the titanium atoms are strongly bonded with both carbon and nitrogen. The electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction measurements of the optimized nanoporous titanium carbonitride loaded with 5 wt % of platinum in acidic medium reveal a high electrocatalytic performance with the overpotential of 27 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm–2, which is similar to that of commercially available Pt/C which contains 20 wt % of Pt. The combination of nanoporous structure together with the highly conducting carbon matrix in these metal carbonitride samples really helps to enhance the electrocatalytic activity. This research reveals a great opportunity for the design of porous metal nitride-based nanostructures with different composition and the potential for these materials to be used in energy storage and conversion technologies.

Mesoporous Strontium Hydroxide Hydrate as a Nanostructure-Dependent Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

“…The specific surface area and pore diameters are very crucial to evaluate and find the features of the materials. ,, The specific surface area and average pore diameters were extracted by N 2 adsorption and desorption isotherm curves using the BET technique (Figure a–c). The greater specific surface area corresponds to a greater number of active sites inside the crystal structure for the HER process.…”

Recent Advances in Carbon‐Based Electrodes for Energy Storage and Conversion

“…Hydrogen can be sourced directly from water splitting by electrolysis, photoelectrolysis, or solar thermochemical processes. [444][445][446][447][448][449][450][451] Electrolysis is commercially the most successful among these processes. The electrolysis of water proceeds with the hydrogen evolution at the cathode (HER) and oxygen evolution at the anode (OER) through a series of reactions occurring at each electrode.…”

Strategies for Improving the Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction of Carbon Nitride‐Based Catalysts

“…Since then, extensive efforts have been made to the water splitting technology for practical applications. [11][12][13][14][15][16] However, its development is relatively slow compared to photovoltaic technologies, which have been widely commercialized and applied in various areas. The major hurdle of photocatalysis-based water splitting is its low efficiency, which is mainly determined by the quantum efficiency of catalysts.…”