Work

Biomass-derived activated carbon as a conductive support for AgFeO2 delafossite electrocatalyst toward alkaline hydrogen evolution

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Developing sustainable and cost-effective electrocatalysts is critical for realizing efficient hydrogen production through water electrolysis. Herein, orange-peel-derived activated carbon (AC) was employed as a conductive scaffold for AgFeO 2 , yielding an AgFeO 2 /AC (AgFAC) composite with enhanced electrode functionality. Structural and surface analyses indicated that AgFeO 2 nanoparticles were incorporated into the porous carbon matrix and interacted with the support. Compared with pristine AgFeO 2 , the AgFAC composite exhibited improved electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity in alkaline media, achieving an overpotential of 497 ± 7 mV at 100 mA cm -2 as well as improved charge-transfer characteristics relative to pristine AgFeO 2 and AC. The performance improvement is consistent with greater electrochemical accessibility and more efficient charge transport in the carbon-supported electrode. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed binding-energy shifts consistent with electronic coupling between AgFeO 2 and AC. These findings identify biomass-derived activated carbon as a promising support for improving the electrode-level HER performance of AgFeO 2 .

Source: Materials Today Communications

DOI: 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2026.116548