Hierarchical CoFe-layered double hydroxide and g-C <sub>3</sub>N <sub>4</sub> heterostructures with enhanced bifunctional photo/electrocatalytic activity towards overall water splitting

Author(s): Muhammad Arif ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵ , Ghulam Yasin ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁶ , Muhammad Shakeel ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Muhammad Asim Mushtaq ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵ , Wen Ye ⁵ ^, ⁷ ^, ⁸ ^, ⁹ ^, ¹⁰ , Xiaoyu Fang ⁵ ^, ⁷ ^, ⁸ ^, ⁹ ^, ¹⁰ , Shengfu Ji ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Dongpeng Yan ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵

Publication date (Electronic): 2019

Journal: Materials Chemistry Frontiers

Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

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Abstract

Hierarchical CoFe-LDH@g-C ₃N ₄ heterostructures have been synthesized via a facile and easily scalable in situ solvothermal method for efficient overall water splitting.

Abstract

To achieve sustainable and clean energy for the hydrogen economy, developing efficient earth-abundant and non-noble transition metal photo/electrocatalysts toward overall water splitting is highly desirable. In this work, layered double hydroxide (LDH)@g-C ₃N ₄ composites with hierarchical flower-like micro/nanosheets and a high surface area have been synthesized by a solvothermal method. HRTEM images exhibit that the surface of the g-C ₃N ₄ nanosheets is highly orientated with the main exposure of the (002) plane. Compared with pristine CoFe-LDH, the hierarchical nanocomposite presents an excellent and stable elecrocatalytic performance in 1.0 M KOH, with a small Tafel slope of 58 mV dec ⁻¹ and an overpotential of about 275 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm ⁻². Simultaneously, CoFe-LDH@g-C ₃N ₄ exhibits an exceptional performance for the HER in 1.0 M KOH electrolyte, with an overpotential of 417 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm ⁻² and a small Tafel slope of 77 mV dec ⁻¹. Therefore, this work not only accomplishes improved catalytic activity of CoFe-LDH by the introduction of g-C ₃N ₄ nanosheets, but also provides an insight into the correlation between hierarchical flower-like morphologies and photo/electrochemical catalytic activity for overall water splitting.

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An advanced Ni-Fe layered double hydroxide electrocatalyst for water oxidation.

Ming Gong, Yanguang Li, Hailiang Wang … (2013)

Highly active, durable, and cost-effective electrocatalysts for water oxidation to evolve oxygen gas hold a key to a range of renewable energy solutions, including water-splitting and rechargeable metal-air batteries. Here, we report the synthesis of ultrathin nickel-iron layered double hydroxide (NiFe-LDH) nanoplates on mildly oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Incorporation of Fe into the nickel hydroxide induced the formation of NiFe-LDH. The crystalline NiFe-LDH phase in nanoplate form is found to be highly active for oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline solutions. For NiFe-LDH grown on a network of CNTs, the resulting NiFe-LDH/CNT complex exhibits higher electrocatalytic activity and stability for oxygen evolution than commercial precious metal Ir catalysts.