Dendritic boron and nitrogen doped high-entropy alloy porous carbon fibers for high-efficiency hydrogen evolution reaction
Jin-Hua Liu,
Jie Zheng,
Mang Niu,
Xuehao Li,
Zhihan Gao,
Peng Wang,
Shuaijie Wang,
Rongxu Wang,
Seeram Ramakrishna,
Ru Li,
Jun Zhang,
Yun-Ze Long
Affiliations
Jin-Hua Liu
Collaborative Innovation Center for Nanomaterials & Devices, Innovation Institute for Advanced Nanofibers, College of Physics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, P.R. China
Jie Zheng
Industrial Research Institute of Nonwovens & Technical Textiles, Shandong Center for Engineered Nonwovens (SCEN), College of Textiles Clothing, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, P.R. China; Corresponding author
Mang Niu
State Key Laboratory of Bio-fibers and Eco-textiles, Institute of Biochemical Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Xuehao Li
Collaborative Innovation Center for Nanomaterials & Devices, Innovation Institute for Advanced Nanofibers, College of Physics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, P.R. China
Zhihan Gao
Collaborative Innovation Center for Nanomaterials & Devices, Innovation Institute for Advanced Nanofibers, College of Physics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, P.R. China
Peng Wang
Collaborative Innovation Center for Nanomaterials & Devices, Innovation Institute for Advanced Nanofibers, College of Physics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, P.R. China
Shuaijie Wang
Collaborative Innovation Center for Nanomaterials & Devices, Innovation Institute for Advanced Nanofibers, College of Physics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, P.R. China
Rongxu Wang
Collaborative Innovation Center for Nanomaterials & Devices, Innovation Institute for Advanced Nanofibers, College of Physics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, P.R. China
Seeram Ramakrishna
Center for Nanotechnology & Sustainability, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117576, Singapore
Ru Li
Instrumental Analysis Center, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, P.R. China
Jun Zhang
Collaborative Innovation Center for Nanomaterials & Devices, Innovation Institute for Advanced Nanofibers, College of Physics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, P.R. China
Yun-Ze Long
Collaborative Innovation Center for Nanomaterials & Devices, Innovation Institute for Advanced Nanofibers, College of Physics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, P.R. China; Corresponding author
Summary: Among various electrocatalysts, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have gained significant attention for their unique properties and excellent catalytic activity in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the precise synthesis of HEA catalysts in small sizes remains challenging, which limits further improvement in their catalytic performance. In this study, boron- and nitrogen-doped HEA porous carbon nanofibers (HE-BN/PCNF) with an in situ–grown dendritic structure were successfully prepared, inspired by the germination and growth of tree branches. Furthermore, the dendritic fibers constrained the growth of HEA particles, leading to the synthesis of quantum dot-sized (1.67 nm) HEA particles, which also provide a pathway for designing HEA quantum dots in the future. This work provides design ideas and guiding suggestions for the preparation of borated HEA fibers with different elemental combinations and for the application of dendritic nanofibers in various fields.
