Chromium phosphide CrP as highly active and stable electrocatalysts for oxygen electroreduction in alkaline media

Catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are key components in emerging energy technologies such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Developing low-cost, high performance and stable electrocatalysts is critical for the extensive implementation of these technologies. Herein, we present a proc...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Liu, Junfeng, Yu, Xiaoting, Du, Ruifeng, Zhang, Chaoqi, Zhang, Ting, Llorca Piqué, Jordi|||0000-0002-7447-9582
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/172704
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/172704
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2019.117846
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Electrocatalysis
Metal phosphide
Colloidal synthesis
Oxygen reduction
Electrocatàlisi
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria química
Descripción
Sumario:Catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are key components in emerging energy technologies such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Developing low-cost, high performance and stable electrocatalysts is critical for the extensive implementation of these technologies. Herein, we present a procedure to prepare colloidal chromium phosphide CrP nanocrystals and we test their performance as ORR electrocatalyst. CrP-based catalysts exhibited remarkable activities with a limiting current density of 4.94¿mA¿cm-2 at 0.2¿V, a half-potential of 0.65¿V and an onset potential of 0.8¿V at 1600¿rpm, which are comparable to commercial Pt/C. Advantageously, CrP-based catalysts displayed much higher stabilities and higher tolerances to methanol in alkaline solution. Using density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate CrP to provide a very strong chemisorption of O2 that facilitates its reduction and explains the excellent ORR performance experimentally demonstrated.