title: Nanoscale nickel oxide/nickel heterostructures for active hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis.
abstract: Active, stable and cost-effective electrocatalysts are a key to water splitting for hydrogen production through electrolysis or photoelectrochemistry. Here we report nanoscale nickel oxide/nickel heterostructures formed on carbon nanotube sidewalls as highly effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction with activity similar to platinum. Partially reduced nickel interfaced with nickel oxide results from thermal decomposition of nickel hydroxide precursors bonded to carbon nanotube sidewalls. The metal ion-carbon nanotube interactions impede complete reduction and Ostwald ripening of nickel species into the less hydrogen evolution reaction active pure nickel phase. A water electrolyzer that achieves ~20 mA cm(-2) at a voltage of 1.5 V, and which may be operated by a single-cell alkaline battery, is fabricated using cheap, non-precious metal-based electrocatalysts.
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA [2].
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: 1] Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA [2].
authors.forename: Wu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Mon-Che
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Canadian Light Source Inc., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada SK S7N 0X4.
authors.forename: Jigang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Mingyun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Meng-Chang
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Canadian Light Source Inc., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada SK S7N 0X4.
authors.forename: Yongfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Di-Yan
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Pennycook
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Bing-Joe
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Hongjie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dai
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D004572:Electrolysis; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D006878:Hydroxides / Q000737:chemistry; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry; D009532:Nickel / Q000737:chemistry*; D056951:Photoelectron Spectroscopy; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D006878:Hydroxides; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D014867:Water; C037473:nickel hydroxide; D009532:Nickel; D006859:Hydrogen; C028007:nickel monoxide