Li Zihao, Jalil Sohail A, Singh Subhash C, Li Weishan, Wei Xiaoming, Guo Chunlei
School of Physics and Optoelectronics, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China.
The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, United States.
Int J Hydrogen Energy. 2021 Mar 11;46(18):10783-10788. doi: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.12.174.
In this work, we report on the creation of a black copper via femtosecond laser processing and its application as a novel electrode material. We show that the black copper exhibits an excellent electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline solution. The laser processing results in a unique microstructure: microparticles covered by finer nanoparticles on top. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the kinetics of the HER is significantly accelerated after bare copper is treated and turned black. At -0.325 V (v.s. RHE) in 1 M KOH aqueous solution, the calculated area-specific charge transfer resistance of the electrode decreases sharply from 159 Ω cm for the untreated copper to 1 Ω cm for the black copper. The electrochemical surface area of the black copper is measured to be only 2.4 times that of the untreated copper and therefore, the significantly enhanced electrocatalytic activity of the black copper for HER is mostly a result of its unique microstructure that favors the formation and enrichment of protons on the surface of copper. This work provides a new strategy for developing high-efficient electrodes for hydrogen generation.
在这项工作中，我们报道了通过飞秒激光加工制备黑色铜及其作为新型电极材料的应用。我们表明，黑色铜在碱性溶液中对析氢反应（HER）表现出优异的电催化活性。激光加工产生了独特的微观结构：顶部覆盖着更细纳米颗粒的微粒。电化学测量表明，裸铜经过处理变黑后，HER的动力学显著加快。在1 M KOH水溶液中，相对于可逆氢电极（RHE）为-0.325 V时，计算得出电极的面积比电荷转移电阻从未处理铜的159 Ω·cm急剧降至黑色铜的1 Ω·cm。测得黑色铜的电化学表面积仅为未处理铜的2.4倍，因此，黑色铜对HER显著增强的电催化活性主要归因于其独特的微观结构，这种结构有利于质子在铜表面的形成和富集。这项工作为开发用于制氢的高效电极提供了一种新策略。
