Amorphous Cobalt Boride (Co 2 B) as a Highly Efficient Nonprecious Catalyst for Electrochemical Water Splitting: Oxygen and Hydrogen Evolution
Abstract
It is demonstrated that amorphous cobalt boride (Co 2 B) prepared by the chemical reduction of CoCl 2 using NaBH 4 is an exceptionally efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline electrolytes and is simultaneously active for catalyzing the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The catalyst achieves a current density of 10 mA cm −2 at 1.61 V on an inert support and at 1.59 V when impregnated with nitrogen‐doped graphene. Stable performance is maintained at 10 mA cm −2 for at least 60 h. The optimized catalyst, Co 2 B annealed at 500 °C (Co 2 B‐500) evolves oxygen more efficiently than RuO 2 and IrO 2 , and its performance matches the best cobalt‐based catalysts reported to date. Co 2 B is irreversibly oxidized at OER conditions to form a CoOOH surface layer. The active form of the catalyst is therefore represented as CoOOH/Co 2 B. EXAFS observations indicate that boron induces lattice strain in the crystal structure of the metal, which potentially diminishes the thermodynamic and kinetic barrier of the hydroxylation reaction, formation of the OOH* intermediate, a key limiting step in the OER.
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The operation voltage of the Au-Rh-aerogel-based electrolyzer is smaller than for most previously reported electrocatalysts in alkaline medium (1.51-1.81 V).
“The obtained operation voltage of the Au–Rh-aerogel-based electrolyzer is also smaller than for most previously reported electrocatalysts in alkaline medium (1.51–1.81 V).[35–38]”
From Engineering Multimetallic Aerogels for pH‐Universal HER and ORR Electrocatalysis (2020) · cites this paper as [37]
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Recent Advances in Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Using Nanoparticles
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- Authors
- Masa, J., Weide, P., Peeters, D., Sinev, I., Xia, W., Sun, Z., Somsen, C., Muhler, M., & Schuhmann, W.
- Affiliations
- Ruhr University Bochum (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Masa, Justus
- Schuhmann, Wolfgang
- Venue
- Advanced Energy Materials
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2016-01-07
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 6
- ISSN
- 1614-6832 (ISSN-L)
- 1614-6840
- OpenAlex
- W2227328155
- Cited by
- 854
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 27 · 2025: 53 · 2024: 66 · 2023: 81 · 2022: 87 · 2021: 92 · 2020: 118 · 2019: 113 · 2018: 104 · 2017: 93 · 2016: 20
- FWCI
- 29.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Advanced Energy Materials (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- DFG (EXC1069)
- Helmholtz-Energie-Allianz “Stationäre elektrochemische Speicher und Wandler” (HA-E-0002)
- Ruhr-Universität Research Department IFSC
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Catalytic Processes in Materials Science
- Keywords
- Co2B, oxygen evolution reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction, electrocatalysis, non-noble metal catalysts, alkaline electrolyte, nitrogen-doped graphene, EXAFS, water splitting, catalyst stability
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