Mo‐Mediated Transition of the Lattice to Long‐Range Disorder Enables Ultra‐High Current Density Hydrogen Production at Low Potentials

• Published in: Advanced functional materials 2023-03, Vol.33 (12), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Cheng, Yu, Guo, Haoran, Zhang, Lifang, Wang, Mengfan, Zhou, Jinqiu, Qian, Tao, Yan, Chenglin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Current density; dominant crystal plane microenvironments; Electrocatalysts; Free energy; Green hydrogen; High current; Hydrogen; Hydrogen evolution reactions; Hydrogen production; in situ Mo‐mediated; long‐range disorders; Materials science; Surface energy; ultra‐high current densities
• ISSN: 1616-301X; 1616-3028
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202208718

High‐current hydrogen production at low potential toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a fatal factor restricting the large‐scale production of green hydrogen. Here, a Mo‐mediated nickel‐based chalcogenides electrocatalyst (U‐MoNiS) with long‐range disordering through heterogeneous atom‐mediated strategies, is proposed. The optimal U‐MoNiS is scalable to meet the urgent application needs and it requires an extermely low overpotential (305 mV) to achieve ultra‐high current density of 2243 mA cm‐2, which is 16.6‐fold higher than the noble Pt/C (135 mA cm‐2). Strikingly, the U‐MoNiS can function well under an ultra‐high current up to ~5 A. Operando experiments and calculations reveal the Mo‐mediated transition of lattice model to a long‐range disordering and regulate the microenvironment of dominant crystal plane, and the surface energy of (110) and (211) drops from 0.180 and 0.165 to 0.077 and 0.100 eV Å‐2, respectively. Which exceedingly minimizes the free energy barrier and then accelerates the H* adsorption, and fundamentally contributes to the achievement of efficient hydrogen production at high current density. The proposed strategy to produce hydrogen at ultra‐high current would fulfill the dream to create ‘a high effiective catalyst designed as simply as possible'. Mo‐mediated chalcogenides with long‐range disordering are scalable to meet the urgent application needs and it requires an extremely low overpotential (305 mV) to achieve an ultra‐high current density of 2243 mA cm−2, and functions well under current up to ≈5 A. This proposed strategy is fulfilling the dream to create ‘a highly effective catalyst designed as simply as possible'.