Electrospun 1D Ta3N5 -(O) nanofibers as advanced electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction in proton exchange membrane water electrolyser
Raghunath Sharma Mukkavilli,
Arun Ichangi,
Ganesh Babu Thiyagarajan,
Florian Vollnhals,
Michael Wilhelm,
Aman Bhardwaj,
Silke Christiansen,
Lakshman Neelakantan,
Sanjay Mathur,
Ravi Kumar
Affiliations
Raghunath Sharma Mukkavilli
Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT Madras), Chennai, 600036, India
Arun Ichangi
Department of Chemistry, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Cologne, Greinstraße 6, 50939, Cologne, Germany
Ganesh Babu Thiyagarajan
Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT Madras), Chennai, 600036, India; Ceramic Technologies Group-Centre of Excellence in Materials and Manufacturing for Futuristic Mobility, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT Madras), Chennai, 600036, India
Florian Vollnhals
Institute for Nanotechnology and Correlative Microscopy - INAM, 91301, Forchheim, Germany
Michael Wilhelm
Department of Chemistry, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Cologne, Greinstraße 6, 50939, Cologne, Germany
Aman Bhardwaj
Department of Chemistry, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Cologne, Greinstraße 6, 50939, Cologne, Germany
Silke Christiansen
Institute for Nanotechnology and Correlative Microscopy - INAM, 91301, Forchheim, Germany; Department Correlative Microscopy and Materials Data, Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS), Forchheim, Germany; Physics Department, Freie Universität Berlin (FU), Berlin, Germany
Lakshman Neelakantan
Ceramic Technologies Group-Centre of Excellence in Materials and Manufacturing for Futuristic Mobility, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT Madras), Chennai, 600036, India; Corrosion Engineering and Materials Electrochemistry Lab, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology- Madras (IIT Madras), Chennai, 600036, India
Sanjay Mathur
Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT Madras), Chennai, 600036, India; Department of Chemistry, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Cologne, Greinstraße 6, 50939, Cologne, Germany; Ceramic Technologies Group-Centre of Excellence in Materials and Manufacturing for Futuristic Mobility, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT Madras), Chennai, 600036, India; Corresponding author. Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT Madras), Chennai, 600036, India.
Ravi Kumar
Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT Madras), Chennai, 600036, India; Ceramic Technologies Group-Centre of Excellence in Materials and Manufacturing for Futuristic Mobility, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT Madras), Chennai, 600036, India; Corresponding author. Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT Madras), Chennai, 600036, India.
This study demonstrates the synthesis and characterisation of electrospun Ta3N5-(O) 1D-nanofibers for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and its performance in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyser. 1D nanofibers were synthesized by electrospinning of tantalum ethoxide/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) sol followed by ammonolysis at varied temperatures (800–1000 °C). Elemental distribution of the nanofibers analysed through XPS, and bulk-EDS studies revealed an increase in surface oxygen concentration with an increase in nitridation temperature (from 900 °C to 1000 °C). The nanofibers were characterized to exhibit high electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with a low overpotential of 320 mV to deliver 10 mA/cm2 in 0.5 M H2SO4 electrolyte. The Ta3N5-(O) 1D nanofibers were employed as novel electrocatalyst without any conducting supports in a PEM water electrolyser. A current density of 0.1 A/cm2 was achieved at an applied voltage of 2 V which is on par with earth-abundant electrocatalysts like MoS2. Furthermore, the electrospun nano fibers showed excellent stability with negligible losses over 6 h of prolonged operation. The study demonstrates the advantage of nanostructuring the electrocatalysts in enhancing the applicability of Ta3N5 and paves further a path for the development of high performance 1-D electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER).
