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Publication

Development of Nickel and Cobalt-based Materials for the Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Book - Dissertation

Global energy consumption is rapidly increasing due to industrial and economic development. The large consumption of fossil fuels causes problems such as environmental pollution and energy shortage. Hence, the development and deployment of alternative clean and renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydro energies are urgently needed. Hydrogen is a good energy carrier due to its high energy density on a per weight basis (33.6 kWh kg-1) and zero carbon emission, which can react with oxygen to produce water and releases the stored energy. Electrochemical water splitting has been considered as a good strategy for hydrogen production. It consists of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at the cathode and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode. However, the sluggish kinetics of OER significantly limits the overall energy conversion efficiency of the water splitting. Therefore, it is highly desirable and challenging to develop durable and efficient electrocatalysts for OER composed of earth-abundant elements. In this project, a serial of nickel and cobalt-based materials with proper electronic structures were developed to boost the OER activities in alkaline media. The experimental and theoretical study gave new insights into the activity enhancement mechanisms. The proposed methods to create high-valence cations and heteroatom doping strategies can further applied for the design of high-performance electrocatalysts for low-cost energy storage and conversion systems.
Publication year:2021
Accessibility:Open