TY - JOUR
T1 - Phosphorus modified carbon fiber cloth as a robust and efficient anode for alkaline water electrolysis
AU - Zhao, X.
AU - Liu, Y. H.
AU - Cai, W.
AU - Wang, Q.
AU - Zeng, Z.
AU - Hu, F. X.
AU - Hu, T.
AU - Liu, B.
AU - Yang, H. B.
PY - 2021/6
Y1 - 2021/6
N2 - Developing cost-effective electrocatalysts is critical to renewable energy conversion and storage technologies. In this work, commercial carbon fiber cloth (CFC) was thermally treated with PCl3 in a sealed-tube reactor to obtain phosphorus-modified CFC (P-CFC). The P-CFC can deliver an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) current density of 10 mA cm−2 with only 310 mV overpotential for 50 h with negligible activity decay, which is superior to all other reported metal-free OER electrocatalysts. The mechanism of improved OER activity was systematically studied by electron microscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that the p-type doping on the CFC surface by P atom could promote the electron transfer from OH− to the electrode; moreover, the formation of oxidized C–P active sites under anodic potential boosted OER activity both thermodynamically and kinetically. This work not only develops a highly active metal-free OER electrocatalyst but also introduces a promising method to enhance the durability of carbon support for oxidative electrochemical reactions. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd.
AB - Developing cost-effective electrocatalysts is critical to renewable energy conversion and storage technologies. In this work, commercial carbon fiber cloth (CFC) was thermally treated with PCl3 in a sealed-tube reactor to obtain phosphorus-modified CFC (P-CFC). The P-CFC can deliver an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) current density of 10 mA cm−2 with only 310 mV overpotential for 50 h with negligible activity decay, which is superior to all other reported metal-free OER electrocatalysts. The mechanism of improved OER activity was systematically studied by electron microscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that the p-type doping on the CFC surface by P atom could promote the electron transfer from OH− to the electrode; moreover, the formation of oxidized C–P active sites under anodic potential boosted OER activity both thermodynamically and kinetically. This work not only develops a highly active metal-free OER electrocatalyst but also introduces a promising method to enhance the durability of carbon support for oxidative electrochemical reactions. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd.
KW - Heteroatom doping
KW - Oxygen evolution reaction
KW - Phosphorization
KW - Surface modification
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85102552884&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/pubmetrics.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85102552884&origin=recordpage
U2 - 10.1016/j.mtener.2021.100683
DO - 10.1016/j.mtener.2021.100683
M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal
SN - 2468-6069
VL - 20
JO - Materials Today Energy
JF - Materials Today Energy
M1 - 100683
ER -
