Discovery of New Solid Catalysts for Water Electrolysis

23-Feb-2021 - Germany

green hydrogen - produced from water electrolysis by using sustainable electricity - is getting more attention due to its potential to be used as energy carrier as well as building block for various industrial processes. Among both half-reactions of water electrolysis, Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) is kinetically more challenging and it requires advances in the development of innovative electrocatalysts.

PD Dr. Harun Tüysüz (Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung), Prof. Dr. Claudia Felser (Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Physik fester Stoffe) and co-workers have discovered a new type of OER electrocatalyst. A variety of Co₂YZ type Heusler compounds with tunable physicochemical properties and well-defined topological surfaces were designed and demonstrated to effectively split water into oxygen and hydrogen. The systematic electrocatalytic investigation of the KOFO team proved a solid correlation between electron filling of d-orbitals of cobalt centers and their OER activities. The materials showed a volcano-shaped activity curve where the higher catalytic current was obtained for e_g orbital filling approaching unity.

This work demonstrates proof of concept implementation of Heusler compounds as a new class of OER electrocatalysts, and the effect of orbital occupation on their catalytic performances.

Original publication

Yu, M.; Li, G.; Fu, C.; Liu, E.; Manna, K.; Budiyanto, E.; Yang, Q.; Felser, C, Tüysüz, H; "Tunable eg orbital occupancy in Heusler compounds for oxygen evolution reaction"; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.; 2021

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/1169979/discovery-of-new-solid-catalysts-for-water-electrolysis.html