Carbon nanotubes(CNTs) have shown as unique nanoreactors to tune the catalytic activity of confined nano-catalysts. Here we report that the catalytic performance of molybdenum carbide nanoparticles(MoC_x NPs) for the ...Carbon nanotubes(CNTs) have shown as unique nanoreactors to tune the catalytic activity of confined nano-catalysts. Here we report that the catalytic performance of molybdenum carbide nanoparticles(MoC_x NPs) for the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) process can be enhanced by encapsulation within single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWNTs) with a diameter of 1–2 nm. The catalyst with MoC_x NPs located on the interior surface of SWNTs(MoCx@SWNTs) exhibits a lower onset over-potential and a smaller Tafel slope than the one with MoC_x NPs attached on the exterior surface(MoCx/SWNTs). This is likely attributed to the much smaller particle size and the more reduced states of the confined MoC_x NPs, as well as the larger specific surface area of MoCx@SWNTs compared with Mo Cx/SWNTs. In addition, the electronic structure of the confined MoC_x NPs might be modified by the confinement effects of SWNTs, and hence the adsorption free energy of H atoms on the confined MoC_x NPs, which could also contribute to their higher performance. These results suggest that the SWNTs can be further explored for constructing novel catalysts with beneficial catalytic performance.展开更多
Charge engineering of carbon materials with many defects shows great potential in electrocatalysis,and molybdenum carbide(Mo2C)is one of the noble-metal-free electrocatalysts with the most potential.Herein,we study th...Charge engineering of carbon materials with many defects shows great potential in electrocatalysis,and molybdenum carbide(Mo2C)is one of the noble-metal-free electrocatalysts with the most potential.Herein,we study the Mo2C on pyridinic nitrogen-doped defective carbon sheets(MoNCs)as catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction.Theoretical calculations imply that the introduction of Mo2C produces a graphene wave structure,which in some senses behaves like N doping to form localized charges.Being an active electrocatalyst,MoNCs demonstrate a Tafel slope as low as 60.6 mV dec-1 and high durability of up to 10 h in acidic media.Besides charge engineering,plentiful defects and hierarchical morphology also contribute to good performance.This work underlines the importance of charge engineering to boost catalytic performance.展开更多
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21425312, 21688102, 21621063, and 21573224)
文摘Carbon nanotubes(CNTs) have shown as unique nanoreactors to tune the catalytic activity of confined nano-catalysts. Here we report that the catalytic performance of molybdenum carbide nanoparticles(MoC_x NPs) for the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) process can be enhanced by encapsulation within single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWNTs) with a diameter of 1–2 nm. The catalyst with MoC_x NPs located on the interior surface of SWNTs(MoCx@SWNTs) exhibits a lower onset over-potential and a smaller Tafel slope than the one with MoC_x NPs attached on the exterior surface(MoCx/SWNTs). This is likely attributed to the much smaller particle size and the more reduced states of the confined MoC_x NPs, as well as the larger specific surface area of MoCx@SWNTs compared with Mo Cx/SWNTs. In addition, the electronic structure of the confined MoC_x NPs might be modified by the confinement effects of SWNTs, and hence the adsorption free energy of H atoms on the confined MoC_x NPs, which could also contribute to their higher performance. These results suggest that the SWNTs can be further explored for constructing novel catalysts with beneficial catalytic performance.
基金the financial support from Changsha Science and Technology Plan (kq1801065)Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Plan Project (No. 2017TP1001)+5 种基金State Key Laboratory Fundthe National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFB0704100)the NSFC grant (No. 11627901)the Scientific Challenge Project of China (No. TZ2018001)the visit at the National Joint Engineering Laboratory of Power Grid with Electric Vehicles (Shandong University)supported by the IMD supercomputing center
文摘Charge engineering of carbon materials with many defects shows great potential in electrocatalysis,and molybdenum carbide(Mo2C)is one of the noble-metal-free electrocatalysts with the most potential.Herein,we study the Mo2C on pyridinic nitrogen-doped defective carbon sheets(MoNCs)as catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction.Theoretical calculations imply that the introduction of Mo2C produces a graphene wave structure,which in some senses behaves like N doping to form localized charges.Being an active electrocatalyst,MoNCs demonstrate a Tafel slope as low as 60.6 mV dec-1 and high durability of up to 10 h in acidic media.Besides charge engineering,plentiful defects and hierarchical morphology also contribute to good performance.This work underlines the importance of charge engineering to boost catalytic performance.
