Metal oxide core-shell nanoparticles and applications thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11655552-B2
Application number	US-202016818249-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2020
Priority date	Mar 13, 2019
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

In an aspect, a method of making a composite core-shell nanoparticle comprises forming a nanoparticle core comprising nickel oxide or iron oxide via thermal decomposition of a nickel complex or an iron complex; and forming an oxide shell over the core, the oxide shell comprising nickel, iron or a mixture thereof. In another aspect, a method of making composite nanoparticles comprises providing a mixture comprising nickel complex and iron complex; and thermally decomposing the nickel and iron complexes to provide the composite nanoparticles comprising (Ni,Fe)Ox alloy. In yet another aspect, a composition comprises composite nanoparticles, the composite nanoparticles including a nickel oxide core and oxide shell, the oxide shell comprising a mixture of nickel and iron.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A composition comprising:
composite nanoparticles, the composite nanoparticles including a nickel oxide core and oxide shell, the oxide shell comprising a mixture of nickel and iron.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the nickel oxide core is amorphous.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the oxide shell has a thickness of 0.1-3 nm.

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composite nanoparticles further comprise a nickel hydroxide phase.

5. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the nickel hydroxide phase comprises iron atoms.

6. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the nickel hydroxide phase is a primary phase of nickel atoms in the composite nanoparticles.

7. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the nickel hydroxide phase is a dominant phase of the composite nanoparticles.

8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composite nanoparticles are catalytically active for oxygen evolution reactions.

9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of nickel to iron (Ni:Fe) in the oxide shell is 0.3 to 1.

10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the oxide shell is functionalized with one or more ligand species.

11. The composition of claim 10 , wherein the one or more ligand species comprise one or more hydrophilic moieties.

12. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the oxide shell is amorphous.

13. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the iron is present as γ-Fe 2 O 3 .

14. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composite nanoparticles are substantially spherical.

15. An electrode comprising:
a substrate; and
a coating of composite nanoparticles on the substrate, the composite nanoparticles including a nickel oxide core and oxide shell, the oxide shell comprising a mixture of nickel and iron.

16. The electrode of claim 15 , wherein the substrate is a transition metal or transition metal alloy.

17. The electrode of claim 15 , wherein the substrate comprises carbon nanoparticles.

18. The electrode of claim 15 , wherein the composite nanoparticles further comprise a nickel hydroxide phase.

19. The electrode of claim 18 , wherein the nickel hydroxide phase is a primary phase of nickel atoms in the composite nanoparticles.

20. The electrode of claim 18 , wherein the nickel hydroxide phase is a dominant phase of the composite nanoparticles.

Assignees

• Univ Arkansas

Inventors

• Chen Jingyi
• Greenlee Lauren F
• Manso Ryan
• Acharya Prashant
• Crane Cameron C

Classifications

• Y02E60/36

  Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis · CPC title

• C25B11/051

  Electrodes formed of electrocatalysts on a substrate or carrier · CPC title

• C25B11/091 Primary

  consisting of at least one catalytic element and at least one catalytic compound; consisting of two or more catalytic elements or catalytic compounds · CPC title

• C25B11/077

  the compound being a non-noble metal oxide · CPC title

• C25B1/04

  by electrolysis of water · CPC title