Enhancing Hydrogen Evolution Activity of Au(111) in Alkaline Media through Molecular Engineering of a 2D Polymer

The electrochemical splitting of water holds promise for the storage of energy produced intermittently by renewable energy sources. The evolution of hydrogen currently relies on the use of platinum as a catalyst—which is scarce and expensive—and ongoing research is focused towards finding cheaper al...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2020-05, Vol.59 (22), p.8411-8415
Main Authors: Alexa, Patrick, Lombardi, Juan Manuel, Abufager, Paula, Busnengo, Heriberto Fabio, Grumelli, Doris, Vyas, Vijay S., Haase, Frederik, Lotsch, Bettina V., Gutzler, Rico, Kern, Klaus
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Catalysts
Catalytic activity
Communication
Communications
Coupling (molecular)
density functional theory
Electrochemistry
Energy sources
Energy storage
Evolution
Gold
hybrid catalyst
Hydrogen
hydrogen evolution reaction
Hydrogen evolution reactions
Metal surfaces
Organic chemistry
Platinum
Polymers
Porous materials
Renewable energy sources
surface chemistry
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Summary:The electrochemical splitting of water holds promise for the storage of energy produced intermittently by renewable energy sources. The evolution of hydrogen currently relies on the use of platinum as a catalyst—which is scarce and expensive—and ongoing research is focused towards finding cheaper alternatives. In this context, 2D polymers grown as single layers on surfaces have emerged as porous materials with tunable chemical and electronic structures that can be used for improving the catalytic activity of metal surfaces. Here, we use designed organic molecules to fabricate covalent 2D architectures by an Ullmann‐type coupling reaction on Au(111). The polymer‐patterned gold electrode exhibits a hydrogen evolution reaction activity up to three times higher than that of bare gold. Through rational design of the polymer on the molecular level we engineered hydrogen evolution activity by an approach that can be easily extended to other electrocatalytic reactions. Moving catalysts on the volcano: The electrochemical production of hydrogen can be promoted by the synergy between a two‐dimensional polymer and a gold electrode. Engineering the molecular structure of the polymer alters the adsorption energies of the reactants, intermediates, and products and helps to move gold towards the top of the volcano plot.
ISSN:1433-7851
1521-3773
DOI:10.1002/anie.201915855