Hydrogen production via electrolysis, powered by renewable energy sources, is considered a key to improving global climate and energy issues. A research team has developed a novel, low-cost electrode material that can produce hydrogen in a more efficient and energy-saving way. This material is porous, phosphorylated CoNi2S4 yolk-shell nanospheres.
The two half-reactions of water electrolysis—the evolution of hydrogen and oxygen—are both slow processes and require a large amount of electricity. Using catalytic electrodes can accelerate the electrochemical process and improve its energy efficiency; however, such catalysts are expensive, limited in quantity, and have low stability. A research team from Henan Normal University in China and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has developed a novel, low-cost, and multifunctional electrode material based on cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni) for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen production.
To manufacture this material, nanospheres made of cobalt-nickel-glycerate undergo a combined process of hydrothermal sulfidation and gas-phase phosphating. This results in phosphorus-doped cobalt-nickel-sulfide (P-CoNi2S4) material, known as yolk-shell nanospheres. The incorporation of phosphorus increases the ratio of Ni3+ to Ni2+ in the hollow particles and enables faster charge transfer, allowing the electrocatalytic reaction to proceed more quickly. This material can be used as both an anode and a cathode, exhibiting high activity and stability in the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen and oxygen.
This research provides an efficient and low-cost method for producing hydrogen through water electrolysis in the future.
