Electrocatalytic and Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production from Acidic and Neutral-pH Aqueous Solutions Using Iron Phosphide Nanoparticles

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• 作者：Juan F. Callejas ; Joshua M. McEnaney ; Carlos G. Read ; J. Chance Crompton ; Adam J. Biacchi ; Eric J. Popczun ; Thomas R. Gordon ; Nathan S. Lewis ; Raymond E. Schaak
• 刊名：ACS Nano
• 出版年：2014
• 出版时间：November 25, 2014
• 年：2014
• 卷：8
• 期：11
• 页码：11101-11107
• 全文大小：522K
• ISSN：1936-086X

文摘

Nanostructured transition-metal phosphides have recently emerged as Earth-abundant alternatives to platinum for catalyzing the hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER), which is central to several clean energy technologies because it produces molecular hydrogen through the electrochemical reduction of water. Iron-based catalysts are very attractive targets because iron is the most abundant and least expensive transition metal. We report herein that iron phosphide (FeP), synthesized as nanoparticles having a uniform, hollow morphology, exhibits among the highest HER activities reported to date in both acidic and neutral-pH aqueous solutions. As an electrocatalyst operating at a current density of 鈭?0 mA cm^鈥?, FeP nanoparticles deposited at a mass loading of 鈭? mg cm^鈥? on Ti substrates exhibited overpotentials of 鈭?0 mV in 0.50 M H₂SO₄ and 鈭?02 mV in 1.0 M phosphate buffered saline. The FeP nanoparticles supported sustained hydrogen production with essentially quantitative faradaic yields for extended time periods under galvanostatic control. Under UV illumination in both acidic and neutral-pH solutions, FeP nanoparticles deposited on TiO₂ produced H₂ at rates and amounts that begin to approach those of Pt/TiO₂. FeP therefore is a highly Earth-abundant material for efficiently facilitating the HER both electrocatalytically and photocatalytically.

Keywords:

hydrogen evolution reaction; metal phosphides; nanoparticles; electrocatalysis; photocatalysis