Carbon-encapsulated multi-phase nanocomposite of W2C@WC1-x as a highly active and stable electrocatalyst for hydrogen generation
- Authors
- Kim, Inha; Park, Sung-Woo; Kim, Dong-Wan
- Issue Date
- 7-12월-2018
- Publisher
- ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY
- Citation
- NANOSCALE, v.10, no.45, pp.21123 - 21131
- Indexed
- SCIE
SCOPUS
- Journal Title
- NANOSCALE
- Volume
- 10
- Number
- 45
- Start Page
- 21123
- End Page
- 21131
- URI
- https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/71224
- DOI
- 10.1039/c8nr07221c
- ISSN
- 2040-3364
- Abstract
- The major challenges related to the activity, stability, and cost of electrocatalysts are being increasingly raised to achieve highly efficient and cost-effective hydrogen generation. Herein, multiphase nanocomposites of W2C@WC1-x encapsulated within graphitic carbon layers were prepared via a facile and effective process of electrical explosion of wires and subsequent heat treatment to serve as a highly active and stable electrocatalyst without any noble metal for hydrogen generation. The single-phase comprising less than 15 nm WC1-x nanoparticles embedded in a lump of amorphous carbon were successfully synthesized via the EEW process in oleic acid used as a carbon source at room temperature. Subsequent heat treatment facilitates the desired phase transition of WC1-x to W2C without the formation of any secondary phases, maintaining the initial particle size and simultaneously eliminating excess amorphous carbon adhered to the nanoparticles. The few graphitic carbon layer-encapsulated nanoparticles with the main W2C phase prepared by this simple method exhibit high efficiency for hydrogen generation with a low overpotential of 240 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) and a low Tafel slope of 86 mV dec(-1). Moreover, the overpotential is well maintained at a constantly injected current density of 10 mA cm(-2) for 100 h with a low (100)/(i) value of 1.03 ((i): initial overpotential, (100): overpotential after 100 h), demonstrating superior catalytic stability in acidic media. This work proposes and evaluates a facile strategy for the synthesis of highly efficient electrocatalysts based on metal carbides without noble metals.
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Collections - College of Engineering > School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering > 1. Journal Articles
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