Nickel phosphide based hydrogen producing catalyst with low overpotential and stability at high current density
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Highlights: • Alkali metal doped boron and aluminum phosphide nano-cages are evaluated for NLO properties. • The NLO response of phosphide nano-cages is compared with nitride nano-cages. • Phosphide nano-cages show better NLO properties than the corresponding nitride nano-cages. • Conductivity of doped nano-cages is much higher than pristine nano-cages. • MAl{sub 11}P{sub 12} and MB{sub 11}P{sub 12} show monotonic increase in hyperpolarizability with size of alkali metal. - Abstract: Phosphide nano-cages of MX{sub 12}P{sub 11} and MX{sub 11}P{sub 12} (where X = B or Al, M = Li, Na, K) are investigated theoretically for geometric, electronic and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. Alkali metal is doped by replacing (a) aluminum or boron atom and (b) phosphorus atom. Alkali metal doping can remarkably alter the electronic and NLO properties of the nano-cages, regardless of doping site. HOMO-LUMO gap is decreased whereas first hyperpolarizability is enhanced significantly in doped AlP and BP nano-cages. PDOS (partial density of states) analysis suggests that diffuse excess electrons from alkali metal play important role in boosting NLO properties of phosphide nano-cages. TD-DFT calculations are performed to study the effect of alkali metal doping on absorption spectra. Red shift is observed in the UV–vis spectra of all considered nano-cages. Comparison of phosphide nano-cages with nitride nano-cages indicated that doping nitride nano-cages with alkali metal leads to greater hyperpolarizability and NLO response than doping phosphide nano-cages.
Abstract Phosphides and carbides are among the most promising families of materials based on earth‐abundant elements for renewable energy conversion and storage technologies such as electrochemical water splitting, batteries, and capacitors. Nickel phosphide and molybdenum carbide in particular have been extensively investigated for electrochemical water splitting. However, a composite of the two compounds has not been explored. Here, we demonstrate preferential deposition of nickel phosphide on molybdenum carbide in the presence of carbon by using a hydrothermal synthesis method. We employ the hydrogen evolution reaction in acid and base to analyze the catalytic activity of phosphide‐deposited carbide. The composite material also shows superior electrochemical stability in comparison to unsupported phosphide. We anticipate that the enhanced electrochemical activity and stability of carbide deposited with phosphide will stimulate investigations into the preparation of other carbide–phosphide composite materials.
Metal phosphides have been identified as a promising class of materials for the catalytic upgrading of bio-oils, which are renewable and potentially inexpensive sources for liquid fuels. Herein, we report the facile synthesis of a series of solid, phase-pure metal phosphide nanoparticles (NPs) (Ni 2 P, Rh 2 P, and Pd 3 P) utilizing commercially available, air-stable metal–phosphine complexes in a one-pot reaction. This single-source molecular precursor route provides an alternative method to access metal phosphide NPs with controlled phases and without the formation of metal NP intermediates that can lead to hollow particles. The formation of the Ni 2 P NPs was shown to proceed through an amorphous Ni–P intermediate, leading to the desired NP morphology and metal-rich phase. This low-temperature, rapid route to well-defined metal NPs is expected to have broad applicability to a variety of readily available or easily synthesized metal–phosphine complexes with high decomposition temperatures. Hydrodeoxygenation of acetic acid, an abundant bio-oil component, was performed to investigate H 2 activation and deoxygenation pathways under conditions that are relevant to ex situ catalytic fast pyrolysis (high temperatures, low pressures, and near-stoichiometric H 2 concentrations). The catalytic performance of the silica-supported metal phosphide NPs was compared to the analogous incipient wetness (IW) metal and metal phosphide catalysts over the range 200–500 °C. Decarbonylation was the primary pathway for H 2 incorporation in the presence of all of the catalysts except NP-Pd 3 P, which exhibited minimal productive activity, and IW-Ni, which evolved H 2 . The highly controlled NP-Ni2P and NP-Rh2P catalysts, which were stable under these conditions, behaved comparably to the IW-metal phosphides, with a slight shift to higher product onset temperatures, likely due to the presence of surface ligands. Most importantly, the NP-Ni 2 P catalyst exhibited H 2 activation and incorporation, in contrast to IW-Ni, indicating that the behavior of the metal phosphide is significantly different from that of the parent metal, and more closely resembles that of noble metal catalysts.
A series of bis(acyl)phosphide-supported Eu complexes were synthesized (bis(acyl)phosphide = BAP). Here, in this study, BAP ligands proved to be excellent ligands for the synthesis of both Eu 3+ and Eu 2+ molecular complexes. Sodium bis(mesitoyl)phosphide (Na( mes BAP)) and sodium bis(2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoyl)phosphide (Na( tripp BAP)) were employed as ligand precursors for the synthesis of the Eu 3+ complexes Eu(bis(mesitoyl)phosphide) 3 (thf) 2 (Eu( mes BAP) 3 (thf) 2 ) and Eu(bis(2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoyl)phosphide) 3 (Eu( tripp BAP) 3 ), as well as the Eu 2+ complex, Eu(bis(2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoyl)phosphide) 2 (dme) 2 (Eu( tripp BAP) 2 (dme) 2 ) (thf = tetrahydrofuran, dme = 1,2-dimethoxyethane). All complexes were characterized using a combination of UV–vis–NIR–IR and NMR spectroscopies, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD). The magnetic properties of these three monomeric Eu complexes were investigated by variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility. The magnetic data are typical for these ions, with Eu( tripp BAP) 2 (dme) 2 displaying Curie-type behavior. Both Eu( tripp BAP) 3 and Eu( mes BAP) 3 (thf) 2 possess similar 7 F 0 - 7 F 1 spin–orbit energy gaps and a similar zero-field splitting of the 7 F 1 state.
The crystal growth of boron arsenide and boron phosphide in the form of bulk crystals and epitaxial layers on suitable substrates is discussed. The physical, chemical, and electrical properties of the crystals and epitaxial layers are examined. Bulk crystals of boron arsenide were prepared by the chemical transport technique, and their carrier concentration and Hall mobility were measured. The growth of boron arsenide crystals from high temperature solutions was attempted without success. Bulk crystals of boron phosphide were also prepared by chemical transport and solution growth techniques. Techniques required for the fabrication of boron phosphide devices such as junction shaping, diffusion, and contact formation were investigated. Alloying techniques were developed for the formation of low-resistance ohmic contacts to boron phosphide. Four types of boron phosphide devices were fabricated: (1) metal-insulator-boron phosphide structures, (2) Schottky barriers; (3) boron phosphide-silicon carbide heterojunctions; and (4) p-n homojunctions. Easily visible red electroluminescence was observed from both epitaxial and solution grown p-n junctions.
Highlights: • We bring out a new method to synthesize noble metal phosphides at low temperature. • Both RuP and Ru{sub 2}P were synthesized using triphenylphosphine as phosphorus sources. • Ru{sub 2}P was the better active phase for HDS than RuP and metal Ru. • RuP/SiO{sub 2} prepared by new method had better HDS activity to that by TPR method. - Abstract: Supported noble metal ruthenium phosphides were synthesized by one-step H{sub 2}-thermal treatment method using triphenylphosphine (TPP) as phosphorus sources at low temperatures. Two phosphides RuP and Ru{sub 2}P can be prepared by this method via varying the molar ratio of metal salt and TPP. The as-prepared phosphides were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), low-temperature N{sub 2} adsorption, CO chemisorption and transmission electronic microscopy (TEM). The supported ruthenium phosphides prepared by new method and conventional method together with contradistinctive metallic ruthenium were evaluated in hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT). The catalytic results showed that metal-rich Ru{sub 2}P was the better active phase for HDS than RuP and metal Ru. Besides this, ruthenium phosphide catalyst prepared by new method exhibited superior HDS activity to that prepared by conventional method.
Optimizing catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a critical step toward the efficient production of H 2 (g) fuel from water. It has been demonstrated experimentally that transition-metal phosphides, specifically nickel phosphides Ni 2 P and Ni 5 P 4 , efficiently catalyze the HER at a small fraction of the cost of archetypal Pt-based electrocatalysts. However, the HER mechanism on nickel phosphides remains unclear. We explore, through density functional theory with thermodynamics, the aqueous reconstructions of Ni 2 P(0001) and Ni 5 P 4 (0001)/(000$ \overline{1}\ $), and we find that the surface P content on Ni 2 P(0001) depends on the applied potential, which has not been considered previously. At -0.21 V ≥ U ≥ -0.36 V versus the standard hydrogen electrode and pH = 0, a PH x -enriched Ni 3 P 2 termination of Ni 2 P(0001) is found to be most stable, consistent with its P-rich ultrahigh-vacuum reconstructions. Above and below this potential range, the stoichiometric Ni 3 P 2 surface is instead passivated by H at the Ni 3 -hollow sites. On the other hand, Ni 5 P 4 (000$ \overline{1}\ $) does not favor additional P. Instead, the Ni 4 P 3 bulk termination of Ni 5 P 4 (000$ \overline{1}\ $) is passivated by H at both the Ni 3 and P3-hollow sites. We also found that the most HER-active surfaces are Ni 3 P 2 +P+(7/3)H of Ni 2 P(0001) and Ni 4 P 3 +4H of Ni 5 P 4 (000$ \overline{1}\ $) due to weak H adsorption at P catalytic sites, in contrast with other computational investigations that propose Ni as or part of the active site. By looking at viable catalytic cycles for HER on the stable reconstructed surfaces, and calculating the reaction free energies of the associated elementary steps, we calculate that the overpotential on the Ni 4 P 3 +4H surface of Ni 5 P 4 (000$ \overline{1}\ $) (-0.16 V) is lower than that of the Ni 3 P 2 +P+(7/3)H surface of Ni 2 P(0001) (-0.21 V). This is due to the abundance of P 3 -hollow sites on Ni 5 P 4 and the limited surface stability of the P-enriched Ni 2 P(0001) surface phase. The trend in the calculated catalytic overpotentials, and the potential-dependent bulk and surface stabilities explain why the nickel phosphides studied here perform almost as well as Pt, and why Ni 5 P 4 is more active than Ni 2 P toward HER, as is found in the experimental literature. This study emphasizes the importance of considering aqueous surface stability in predicting the HER-active sites, mechanism, and overpotential, and highlights the primary role of P in HER catalysis on transition-metal phosphides.
The iridium-rich phosphides RE{sub 5}Ir{sub 19}P{sub 12} (RE=Sc, Y, La-Nd, Sm-Lu) with Sc{sub 5}Co{sub 19}P{sub 12} type structure, space group P62-bar m were synthesized by solid state reactions of the elements in tantalum crucibles. Well shaped single crystals were obtained in bismuth fluxes. All phosphides were characterized on the basis of X-ray powder data. The structures of RE{sub 5}Ir{sub 19}P{sub 12} with RE=Sc, La, Ce, Dy, Er, Tm, and Yb were refined from single crystal diffractometer data. The complex structure of these phosphides can be described by an intergrowth of simpler ThCr{sub 2}Si{sub 2} and SrPtSb related slabs. Striking structural motifs of the RE{sub 5}Ir{sub 19}P{sub 12} structures are slightly distorted tricapped trigonal prisms of the metal atoms around the phosphorus atoms. The iridium and phosphorus atoms build up three-dimensional [Ir{sub 19}P{sub 12}] polyanionic networks (230-286 pm Ir-P and 282-296 pm Ir-Ir in La{sub 5}Ir{sub 19}P{sub 12}) which leave cavities of coordination numbers 16 and 15 for the rare earth atoms. - Graphical Abstract: The intergrowth structure La{sub 5}Ir{sub 19}P{sub 12}. Highlights: > Metal flux syntheses of intermetallic compounds. > Synthesis and structure of new phosphides RE{sub 5}Ir{sub 19}P{sub 12}. > Crystal chemistry of metal-rich phosphides. > Description of the RE{sub 5}Ir{sub 19}P{sub 12} structure as an intergrowth variant.
Boron phosphide has recently been identified as a potential high-hole-mobility transparent conducting material. This promise arises from its low hole effective masses. However, boron phosphide has a relatively small, 2 eV, indirect bandgap which will affect its transparency. In this study, we computationally study both optical absorption across the indirect gap and phonon-limited electronic transport to quantify the potential of boron phosphide as a p-type transparent conductor. We find that phonon-mediated indirect optical absorption is weak in the visible spectrum and that the phonon-limited hole mobility is very high (around 900 cm 2 /Vs) at room temperature. This exceptional mobility comes from the combination of a low hole effective mass and very weak scattering by polar phonon modes. We rationalize the weak scattering by the less ionic bonding in boron phosphide compared to oxides. We suggest that this could be a general advantage of nonoxides for p-type transparent conducting applications. Using our computed properties, we assess the transparent conductor figure of merit of boron phosphide and show that it exceeds by one order of magnitude that of established p-type transparent conductors, confirming the potential of this material.
We prepared higher surface area nickel phosphides than are normally found by reducing nickel phosphate. To do this, we hydrothermally synthesized Ni hydroxy phosphite precursors with low levels of molybdenum substitution. The molybdenum substitution increases the surface area of these precursors. During pretreatment in a sulfiding atmosphere (such as H2S/H2) dispersed islands of MoS2 segregate from the precursor and provide a pathway for H2 dissociation that allows reduction of the phosphite precursor to nickel phosphide at substantially lower temperatures than in the absence of MoS2. The results reported here show that to create nickel phosphides with comparable activity to conventional supported sulfide catalysts, one would have to synthesize the phosphide with surface areas exceeding 400 m2/g (i.e. with nanoparticles less than 30 Å in lateral dimension).
Composites of electrocatalytically active transition-metal compounds present an intriguing opportunity toward enhanced activity and stability. Here, to identify potentially scalable pairs of a catalytically active family of compounds, we demonstrate that phosphides of iron, nickel, and cobalt can be deposited on molybdenum carbide to generate nanocrystalline heterostructures. Composites synthesized via solvothermal decomposition of metal acetylacetonate salts in the presence of highly dispersed carbide nanoparticles show hydrogen evolution activities comparable to those of state-of-the-art non-noble metal catalysts. Investigation of the spent catalyst using high resolution microscopy and elemental analysis reveals that formation of carbide–phosphide composite prevents catalyst dissolution in acid electrolyte. Lattice mismatch between the two constituent electrocatalysts can be used to rationally improve electrochemical stability. Among the composites of iron, nickel, and cobalt phosphide, iron phosphide displays the lowest degree of lattice mismatch with molybdenum carbide and shows optimal electrochemical stability. Turnover rates of the composites are higher than that of the carbide substrate and compare favorably to other electrocatalysts based on earth-abundant elements. Lastly, our findings will inspire further investigation into composite nanocrystalline electrocatalysts that use molybdenum carbide as a stable catalyst support.
Although lithium-sulfur batteries are a promising approach for achieving high energy density, their commercial viability is limited by poor sulfur redox kinetics, polysulfide shuttling, and lithium metal instability. To resolve these issues concurrently, we utilize titanium phosphides (TiP x ) as dual-function materials to catalyze the sulfur redox kinetics at the cathode and stabilize the lithium metal at the anode. Importantly, these phosphides are synthesized via a facile, highly scalable one-step mechanochemical ball-milling process that does not generate toxic phosphine gas as a byproduct, making it more viable compared to traditional synthesis routes. At the cathode, we find that higher phosphorus contents in the phosphide as in TiP 2 leads to superior redox kinetics and reduced polysulfide shuttling due to improved polysulfide adsorption ability. Meanwhile, at the anode, TiP 2 acts as a lithiophilic seed in a 3-dimensional carbonaceous host that can be lithiated to form a Li-TiP 2 /C composite. This composite alleviates the volume changes of lithium metal while utilizing TiP 2 to form a more favorable solid-electrolyte interface (SEI). Full coin cells employing TiP 2 in the cathode and anode were assembled with a sulfur loading of 4 mg cm -2 and a negative to positive capacity (N/P) ratio of 6. After 50 cycles, the TiP 2 full cells retain a higher capacity of 643 mA h g -1 compared to 422 mA h g -1 for the conventional cell, despite the higher N/P ratio of 12 for the conventional cell. Altogether, we showcase the viability of employing metal phosphides as catalysts in practical lithium-sulfur batteries.