Rapid and energy-efficient microwave pyrolysis for high-yield production of highly-active bifunctional electrocatalysts for water splitting. Issue 2 (2nd January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Huang, Huawei; Zhou, Si; Yu, Chang; Huang, Hongling; Zhao, Jijun; Dai, Liming; Qiu, Jieshan
• Is Part Of: Energy & environmental science. Volume 13:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 545
• Page End: 553
• Publication Date: 2020-01-02
• Subjects: Energy conversion -- Periodicals; Fuel switching -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Environmental chemistry -- Periodicals; 333.79
• DOI: 10.1039/c9ee03273h
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1754-5692

Abstract

Abstract : An ultrafast and energy efficient microwave pyrolysis method was reported to convert MOF to efficient electrocatalysts with high product yields. Abstract : Functional materials with tuned nanostructure derived from metal–organic frameworks (MOF) hold great promise in energy storage/conversion and catalysis. Herein, we report a novel strategy to fabricate carbon fiber (CF)-supported cobalt nanocatalysts (Co-NC/CF) by a self-made "microreactor" consisted of randomly stacked graphene powder with the help of the microwave field. This newly-developed methodology can not only lead to a significantly enhanced yield of MOF-derived Co-NC up to 48.7 wt%, but also dramatically reduce the pyrolysis time (in just 60 s) and energy consumption (only 0.37% of traditional pyrolysis method). The experimental results combined with theoretical calculations revealed that the synthesized Co-NC/CF with optimized surface binding capability for reaction intermediates featured high-efficient catalytic activities for OER and HER owing to the electron transfer from cobalt to the surface carbon layers. The present microwave pyrolysis technique with an ultra-short synthesis cycle, high product yield and excellent energy efficiency, also demonstrated broad applicability for the synthesis of other MOF-derived functional materials.