The role of carbon catalyst coatings in the electrochemical water splitting reaction
Abstract Designing inexpensive, sustainable, and high-performance oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is one of the largest obstacles hindering the development of new electrolyzers. Carbon-coated metal/metal oxide (nano)particles have been used in such applications, but the role played...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59740-z |
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| author | William J. V. Townsend Diego López-Alcalá Matthew A. Bird Jack W. Jordan Graham A. Rance Johannes Biskupek Ute Kaiser José J. Baldoví Darren A. Walsh Lee R. Johnson Andrei N. Khlobystov Graham N. Newton |
| author_facet | William J. V. Townsend Diego López-Alcalá Matthew A. Bird Jack W. Jordan Graham A. Rance Johannes Biskupek Ute Kaiser José J. Baldoví Darren A. Walsh Lee R. Johnson Andrei N. Khlobystov Graham N. Newton |
| author_sort | William J. V. Townsend |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Designing inexpensive, sustainable, and high-performance oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is one of the largest obstacles hindering the development of new electrolyzers. Carbon-coated metal/metal oxide (nano)particles have been used in such applications, but the role played by the carbon coatings is poorly understood. Here, we use a carbon-coated catalyst comprising metal-oxide nanoparticles encapsulated within single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), to study the effects of carbon coatings on catalytic performance. Electrolyte access to the encapsulated metal oxides is shut off by plugging the SWNT ends with size-matched fullerenes. Our results reveal that the catalytic activity of the composite rivals that of the metal oxide, despite the fact that the metal oxides cannot access the bulk electrolyte. Moreover, the rate-determining step (RDS) of the OER matches that measured at empty SWNTs, indicating that electrocatalysis occurs on the carbon surface. Synergism between the encapsulated metal oxide and carbon coating was explored using electrochemical Raman spectroscopy and computational analysis, revealing that charge transfer from the carbon host to the metal oxide is key to the high electrocatalytic activity of carbon in this system; decreasing electron density on the carbon surface facilitates binding of –OH, accelerating the rate of the OER on the carbon surface. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8b565e996c074a4fbf1fc008c96181ae |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-8b565e996c074a4fbf1fc008c96181ae2025-08-20T03:53:58ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-05-0116111110.1038/s41467-025-59740-zThe role of carbon catalyst coatings in the electrochemical water splitting reactionWilliam J. V. Townsend0Diego López-Alcalá1Matthew A. Bird2Jack W. Jordan3Graham A. Rance4Johannes Biskupek5Ute Kaiser6José J. Baldoví7Darren A. Walsh8Lee R. Johnson9Andrei N. Khlobystov10Graham N. Newton11Nottingham Applied Materials and Interfaces (NAMI) Group, GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratories for Sustainable Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of NottinghamInstituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol), Universidad de ValenciaNottingham Applied Materials and Interfaces (NAMI) Group, GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratories for Sustainable Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of NottinghamNottingham Applied Materials and Interfaces (NAMI) Group, GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratories for Sustainable Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of NottinghamNanoscale and Microscale Research Centre, University of NottinghamElectron Microscopy Group of Materials Science, Ulm UniversityElectron Microscopy Group of Materials Science, Ulm UniversityInstituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol), Universidad de ValenciaNottingham Applied Materials and Interfaces (NAMI) Group, GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratories for Sustainable Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of NottinghamNottingham Applied Materials and Interfaces (NAMI) Group, GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratories for Sustainable Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of NottinghamSchool of Chemistry, University of NottinghamNottingham Applied Materials and Interfaces (NAMI) Group, GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratories for Sustainable Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of NottinghamAbstract Designing inexpensive, sustainable, and high-performance oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is one of the largest obstacles hindering the development of new electrolyzers. Carbon-coated metal/metal oxide (nano)particles have been used in such applications, but the role played by the carbon coatings is poorly understood. Here, we use a carbon-coated catalyst comprising metal-oxide nanoparticles encapsulated within single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), to study the effects of carbon coatings on catalytic performance. Electrolyte access to the encapsulated metal oxides is shut off by plugging the SWNT ends with size-matched fullerenes. Our results reveal that the catalytic activity of the composite rivals that of the metal oxide, despite the fact that the metal oxides cannot access the bulk electrolyte. Moreover, the rate-determining step (RDS) of the OER matches that measured at empty SWNTs, indicating that electrocatalysis occurs on the carbon surface. Synergism between the encapsulated metal oxide and carbon coating was explored using electrochemical Raman spectroscopy and computational analysis, revealing that charge transfer from the carbon host to the metal oxide is key to the high electrocatalytic activity of carbon in this system; decreasing electron density on the carbon surface facilitates binding of –OH, accelerating the rate of the OER on the carbon surface.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59740-z |
| spellingShingle | William J. V. Townsend Diego López-Alcalá Matthew A. Bird Jack W. Jordan Graham A. Rance Johannes Biskupek Ute Kaiser José J. Baldoví Darren A. Walsh Lee R. Johnson Andrei N. Khlobystov Graham N. Newton The role of carbon catalyst coatings in the electrochemical water splitting reaction Nature Communications |
| title | The role of carbon catalyst coatings in the electrochemical water splitting reaction |
| title_full | The role of carbon catalyst coatings in the electrochemical water splitting reaction |
| title_fullStr | The role of carbon catalyst coatings in the electrochemical water splitting reaction |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of carbon catalyst coatings in the electrochemical water splitting reaction |
| title_short | The role of carbon catalyst coatings in the electrochemical water splitting reaction |
| title_sort | role of carbon catalyst coatings in the electrochemical water splitting reaction |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59740-z |
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