preprints.org > chemistry and materials science > materials science and technology > doi: 10.20944/preprints202311.0890.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 13 November 2023 / Approved: 14 November 2023 / Online: 14 November 2023 (10:34:33 CET)

Water electrolysis is a highly efficient route to produce ideally clean H2 fuel with excellent energy conversion efficiency and high gravimetric energy density, without producing carbon trace unlike steam methane reforming, and resolves the issues of environmental contamination via replacing the conventional fossil fuel. Of special importance lies in the advancement of highly effective non-precious catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The electrocatalytic activity of an active catalyst mainly depends on the material conductivity, accessible catalytically active sites, and intrinsic OER reaction kinetics, which can be tuned via introducing heteroatom N in the catalyst stricture. Herein, an efficacious nitrogenation of CuS has been accomplished, which was synthesized using hydrothermal procedure, and characterized for their electrocatalytic activity towards OER. The nitrogen-doped CuO@CuS (N,CuO@CuS) electrocatalyst exhibits superior OER activity than pristine CuS (268 and 602 mV), achieving the low overpotential of 240 and 392 mV at a current density of 10 and 100 mA/cm2, respectively, ascribed to the favorable electronic structural modification triggered by nitrogen incorporation. The N,CuO@CuS also exhibits excellent endurance under varied current rates and a static potential response over 25 h stability measured at 10 and 100 mA/cm2.

Water electrolysis; CuO@CuS; oxygen evolution reaction; nitrogenation; Hydrothermal growth

Chemistry and Materials Science, Materials Science and Technology

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