Ordered Nanostructure Enhances Electrocatalytic Performance by Directional Micro-Electric Field

Autor: Zhen He, Huijun Jiang, Xi-Feng Ren, Jian-Wei Liu, Shu-Hong Yu, Zhonghuai Hou, Qing-Xia Chen, Xiao-Zhuo Qi, Ying-Huan Liu, Jin-Long Wang
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of the American Chemical Society. 141:10729-10735
ISSN: 1520-5126
0002-7863
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b03617
Popis: Designing high-efficiency catalyst is at the heart of a transition to future renewable energy systems. Great achievements have been made to optimize thermodynamics to reduce energetic barriers of the catalytic reactions. However, little attention has been paid to design catalysts to improve kinetics to enrich the local concentration of reactant molecules surrounding electrocatalysts. Here, we find that well-designed nanocatalysts with periodic structures can optimize kinetics to accelerate mass-transport from bulk electrolyte to the catalyst surface, leading to the enhanced catalytic performance. This achievement stems from regulation of the surface reactant flux due to the gradient of the microelectric field directing uniformly to the nearest catalyst on ordered pattern, so that all of the reactant molecules are utilized sufficiently for reactions, enabling the boost of the electrocatalytic performance. This novel concept is further confirmed in various catalytic systems and nanoassemblies, such as nanoparticles, nanorods, and nanoflakes.
Databáze: OpenAIRE