Work

Hollow TiO 2 @Co 9 S 8 Core–Branch Arrays as Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Efficient Oxygen/Hydrogen Production

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: Designing ever more efficient and cost‐effective bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen/hydrogen evolution reactions (OER/HER) is greatly vital and challenging. Here, a new type of binder‐free hollow TiO 2 @Co 9 S 8 core–branch arrays is developed as highly active OER and HER electrocatalysts for stable overall water splitting. Hollow core–branch arrays of TiO 2 @Co 9 S 8 are readily realized by the rational combination of crosslinked Co 9 S 8 nanoflakes on TiO 2 core via a facile and powerful sulfurization strategy. Arising from larger active surface area, richer/shorter transfer channels for ions/electrons, and reinforced structural stability, the as‐obtained TiO 2 @Co 9 S 8 core–branch arrays show noticeable exceptional electrocatalytic performance, with low overpotentials of 240 and 139 mV at 10 mA cm −2 as well as low Tafel slopes of 55 and 65 mV Dec −1 for OER and HER in alkaline medium, respectively. Impressively, the electrolysis cell based on the TiO 2 @Co 9 S 8 arrays as both cathode and anode exhibits a remarkably low water splitting voltage of 1.56 V at 10 mA cm −2 and long‐term durability with no decay after 10 d. The versatile fabrication protocol and smart branch‐core design provide a new way to construct other advanced metal sulfides for energy conversion and storage.

Source: Advanced Science

DOI: 10.1002/advs.201700772