Nanoparticle fluoropolymer electrode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12203183-B2
Application number	US-202418603283-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2024
Priority date	Jul 22, 2019
Publication date	Jan 21, 2025
Grant date	Jan 21, 2025

Abstract

A noble metal free nanocomposite of a transition metal phosphide catalyst supported on ultrathin interconnected carbon nanosheets and its use as an efficient low cost electrocatalyst are disclosed. An electrochemical cell comprising a working electrode coated with the electrocatalyst for the production of hydrogen by electrolysis of water.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A nanoparticle fluoropolymer electrode, comprising:
an electrically conductive glassy carbon substrate coated with an electrocatalyst,
wherein the electrocatalyst comprises:
nanoparticles of an iron phosphide;
carbon nanosheets as a catalyst support; and
a sulfonated fluoropolymer-copolymer binder;
wherein the carbon nanosheets having no nitrogen or phosphorus doping, and the carbon nanosheets being interconnected with covalent carbon-carbon bonds,
wherein the carbon nanosheets branch by at least partially peeling so that a single nanosheet branches into multiple nanosheets each individually having a continuous structure but covalently connected to one or more core or nucleus nanosheets,
wherein the nanoparticles have an average diameter in the range of from 3 to 30 nm, and the carbon nanosheets have a thickness of no more than 3 nm,
wherein the molar ratio of the nanoparticles of the iron phosphide to the carbon nanosheets is in a range of from 0.15 to 0.3,

wherein the electrode has a BET surface area in a range of from 140 to 200 m 2 /g,
wherein the electrode has a hydrogen evolution reaction turnover frequency in a range of from 0.90 to 0.30 s −1 , and
wherein the electrode has an overpotential in a hydrogen evolution reaction to produce a current density of 10 mA/cm 2 in acidic conditions in a range of from 50 to 104 mV.

2. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles are homogenous spherical nanoparticles having a diameter in a range of from 2 to 20 nm.

3. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the electrocatalyst is present on a surface of the electrode in a range of from 0.2 to 10 mg/cm 2 .

4. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the BET surface area of the electrode is in the range of from 160 to 180 m 2 /g.

5. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles have an average diameter in a range of from greater than 4 to 15 nm.

6. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the turnover frequency is in a range of from 0.70 to 0.50 s −1 and the overpotential to produce the current density of 10 mA/cm 2 in acidic conditions is in a range of from 100 to 104 mV.

7. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the carbon nanosheets are not doped with any other material.

8. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein interconnections of the carbon nanosheets represent points at which a first carbon nanosheet is at least partially unraveled or opened and suffers a nanosheet structural defect point, and
wherein, at the defect point, carbon or graphene-like material of the carbon nanosheets branches from the first carbon nanosheet to form a second carbon nanosheet.

9. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the carbon nanosheets consist of carbon.

10. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the carbon nanosheets consist of graphene.

11. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the interconnected carbon nanosheets form a dendrimer structure.

Assignees

• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals

Inventors

• Siddiqui Mohammad Nahid
• Qamar Mohammad
• Adam Alaaldin Mohamed Abdalla
• Suliman Munzir H

Classifications

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H10W40/10

  Arrangements for heating · CPC title

• C25B11/037

  Electrodes made of particles · CPC title

• C25B11/065

  Carbon · CPC title

• C25B11/089 Primary

  Alloys · CPC title