Researchers synthesize silver sulfide/reduced graphene oxide composite catalysts

The development of efficient electrocatalyst to produce molecular hydrogen from water is receiving considerable attention, in an effort to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels. Silver sulfide Ag 2S nanocrystals have attracted enormous interests due to its excellent properties. At present, the performance of hydrogen generation reaction HER catalysts based on Ag 2S nanocrystals are still at a certain distance from expectations. One of the main reasons is that the impeded charge transfer and decreased active sites caused by aggregation of Ag 2S nanocrystals. To solve this problem, a research team led by Prof. YU Weili from the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics, and Physics CIOMP of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof. Hicham Idriss of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology KAUST synthesized Ag 2S/rGO composite catalysts with smaller crystal size and better charge transfer properties by the solution fabrication strategy. The study was published in Catalysts "Effect of Ag 2S Nanocrystals/Reduced Graphene Oxide Interface on Hydrogen Evolution Reaction". Schematic of the HER reaction catalyzed by Ag 2S/rGO Image: CIOMP The researchers combined the high quality Ag 2S nanocrystals with reduced graphene oxide with high carrier mobility, and prepared efficient HER catalysts. Compared to catalyst based on pure Ag 2S nanocrystals, the Ag 2S/rGO composites catalyst showed a significant decrease of overpotential, Tafel slope and electrochemical resistance. Transmission electron microscope TEM images showed that the induced rGO provided abundant nucleation sites, thus preventing the aggregation of Ag 2S nanocrystals. The average size of Ag 2S nanocrystals grown on rGO was calculated to be about 7 nm. Time-resolved photoluminescence TRPL studies showed that the improvement of the catalystic performance was mainly attributed to the efficient charge transfer of the Ag 2S/rGO composites. In this study, Ag 2S nanocrystals and two-dimensional material rGO are effectively combined to improve the catalytic performance through the synergistic advantages of the two materials in carrier transfer and aggregation inhibition. The study provides a new way for the preparation of high performance composite HER catalysts.
MIS-ASIA is an online content marketing platform that has a large number of visitors worldwide. It is considered to be the leading IT, mechanical, chemical, and nanomaterial information distributor in the Asia-Pacific region. The MIS-ASIA website provides high-quality articles and news on digital information technology, mechanical technology, nanotechnology, biology and science for scientists, engineers and industry experts, machinery suppliers and buyers, chemical suppliers and laboratories. If you need advertising and posting service, or you need to start sponsorship, please contact us.