Facile One-step Electrodeposition Research Articles

Facile Electrodeposition of Ni-Cu-P Dendrite Nanotube Films with Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Activity and Durability.

Hydrogen can be the potential substitute energy carrier for fuel while electrolysis water with hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is an efficient way to produce hydrogen. Highly active and robust electrocatalysts composed by earth abundant elements are required. Herein, nickel-copper-phosphorus (Ni-Cu-P) electrocatalysts are designed and synthesized by a facile one-step electrodeposition method. A unique pine-needle-like dendrite nanotube morphology of Ni-Cu-P electrocatalyst can be synthesized when copper content changed and impressive HER activity obtained in alkaline and acidic media. Briefly, the overpotential reaches 120 mV in 1 M KOH and 150 mV in 0.5 M H2SO4 at the current density of 10 mA cm-2, with the corresponding Tafel slope reaching 69 mV dec-1. The results are close to that of commercial Pt/C catalysts (37 mV in 1 M KOH). Furthermore, the density functional theory calculations also demonstrate that P-incorporated Ni-Cu, Cu-incorporated Ni-P, and Ni-incorporated Cu-P have the optimized hydrogen adsorption free energy (Δ GH*) of -0.066, -0.157, and -0.003 eV, respectively, which are more suitable than those of Ni-Cu, Ni-P, and Cu-P, respectively. The Ni-incorporated Cu-P even has a much smaller Δ GH* of -0.003 than that of Pt (∼-0.09 eV). We believe that our study will provide a new strategy to design non-noble metal alloy materials for practical applications in catalysis and energy fields.

3D Ni-Co sulfoxide nanosheet arrays electrodeposited on Ni foam: A bifunctional electrocatalyst towards efficient and stable water splitting

Developing highly active and stable electrocatalysts from earth-abundant elements are imperative for the large-scalable production of hydrogen. Herein, the three dimensional amorphous NiCoSxOy nanosheets arrays directly grow on Ni foam (NiCoSxOy NSs/NF) through a facile one-step electrodeposition is firstly reported. The special in-situ grown 3D nanosheets arrays, largely exposed active sites and enhanced electrical conductivity enable the resultant NiCoS0.14O3.25 NSs/NF to possess remarkable electrocatalytic performance and stability towards water splitting in 1 M KOH. Specifically, the introduction of S ligand into the hydroxides through a straightforward and convenient electrodeposition method boost the robust composition and comprehensive activity of the NiCoSxOy NSs. Such binder-free, easily prepared NiCoS0.14O3.25 NSs/NF electrode requires the overpotential of 250 mV and 170 mV at 10 mA cm−2 for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), respectively. When functionalizing as two identical cathode and anode in an alkaline electrolyzer, NiCoS0.14O3.25 NSs/NF displays the efficient and robust property on both OER and HER. Remarkably, serving as bifunctional electrode in alkaline electrolyzer, it only needs 1.64 V to reach the current density of 20 mA cm−2. This study provides a valuable guideline to synthesize non-noble and efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts using a time-saving but facile electrochemical method.

Preparation of three-dimensional porous graphene/ruthenium oxide nano-composite for high performance supercapacitors by electrochemical method

ABSTRACTA facile one-step electrodeposition method to synthesis of ruthenium oxide/ graphene (ERG/RuO2) nano-composite has been developed. The SEM and TEM revealed the three-dimensional (3D) porous ERG decorated by RuO2 nanoparticle with the size of less than 5 nm. The electrochemical tests showed that the ERG/RuO2 nanocomposites exhibited distinct pseudocapacitive characteristic with a high specific capacitance and an outstanding rate capability, and even after 5000 cycles the capacity retention was still maintained at 80.2%. These results suggest that ERG/RuO2 electrode as electrode material of supercapacitor has great prospects.

Tuning the morphology and Fe/Ni ratio of a bimetallic Fe-Ni-S film supported on nickel foam for optimized electrolytic water splitting

The surface composite and morphology of binary metal sulfides are the key for efficient overall water splitting. However, tuning the morphology and surface composition of binary metal sulfides in a facile way is still a challenge. Herein, binary Fe-Ni sulfides supported on nickel foam (FeNi-S/NF) with different morphology and composition ratio of Fe/Ni have been synthesized through a facile one-step electrodeposition assisted by liquidcrystaltemplate (LCT). The binary FeNi-S has improved activity and conductivity compared to single metal sulfides. LCT-assisted porous FeNi-S film composed of uniform nanospheres is obviously different from planar film electrodeposited in water solution. LCT-assisted FeNi-S nanospheres are covered by many interwoven nanosheets, implying more exposed active sites for water splitting. Furthermore, the different Fe/Ni ratios of FeNi-S/NF samples have been systematically studied to explore the influence of Fe-incorporation on intrinsic activity of FeNi-S/NF. And the sample with Fe/Ni ratio (3/1) demonstrates the best activity and excellent stability for overall water electrolysis. Therefore, our work provides a facile and controllable access to binary metal sulfides with excellent performances for overall water splitting.

One-step electrodeposition of high-quality amorphous molybdenum sulfide/RGO photoanode for visible-light sensitive photoelectrochemical biosensing

Exploiting high-quality photoactive material with visible light absorption, high photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity and stability is of great importance for developing high-performance PEC sensing. In this paper, amorphous molybdenum sulfide (a-MoSx)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) hybrid film was directly grown on indium tin oxide (ITO) via a facile one-step electrodeposition, followed by a post annealing process. The uniform a-MoSx/RGO hybrid film exhibited significantly enhanced photocurrent, fast photoelectric switching behavior and robust stability under the visible light. Direct utilization of a-MoSx/RGO as an efficient photoanode for glucose determination had been demonstrated for the first time. Rapid response and robust stability for glucose determination in a wide linear range from 0.15 to 16 mM with a low detection limit were obtained. The reliability of detecting glucose in serum samples was demonstrated. This work stresses the importance of one-step electrodeposition preparation of a-MoSx/RGO hybrid film as high-quality photoanode for PEC bioanalysis.

Pulse-reversal deposition of Ni3S2 thin films on carbon fiber cloths for supercapacitors

In this present work, nanoporous net-like Ni3S2 thin films were successfully electrodeposited on flexible carbon fiber cloths (CFCs) through a facile one-step pulse-reversal electrodeposition (PR) method. The effects of pulse frequency of the PR deposition mode on the microstructure evolution of the deposits and their corresponding capacitance properties as electroactive electrodes for supercapacitors were investigated systematically. After the optimization of pulse frequency, the optimized flexible Ni3S2 electrode was found to be with the unique well-interconnected net-like nanoporous. The subsequent galvanostatic charge-discharge studies showed that the optimized Ni3S2 electrode delivered a superior specific capacitance of about 600 F/g at a constant current density of 1 A/g with 75% capacitance retention even after at relatively high current density of 8 A/g. Moreover, the optimized Ni3S2 electrode retained the 84.6% of initial discharge capacitance after the cycling test at current density of 2 A/g for 2000 cycles. According to the aforementioned electrochemical performance, the NSPR-2 electrode with nanoporous net-like nanostructure could be a potential binder-free electrode for flexible supercapacitors.

Pulsed voltage deposited hierarchical dendritic PbS film as a highly efficient and stable counter electrode for quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells

Hierarchical dendritic PbS films were deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates as counter electrodes (CE) for quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) by a facile one-step pulse voltage electrodeposition method.

Hierarchical graphite foil/CoNi2S4 flexible electrode with superior thermal conductivity for high-performance supercapacitors

Effective heat dissipation is a crucial issue in electrochemical energy storage devices. Thus, it is highly desirable to develop high-performance electrode materials with high thermal conductivity. Here, we report a facile one-step electrodeposition method to synthesize ternary cobalt nickel sulfide (CoNi2S4) flower-like nanosheets which are grown on graphite foil (GF) as binder-free electrode materials for supercapacitors. The as-fabricated GF/CoNi2S4 integrated electrode manifested an excellent thermal conductivity of 620.1 W·m−1·K−1 and a high specific capacitance of 881 F·g−2 at 5 mA cm−2, as well as good rate capability and cycling stability. Ultimately, the all-solid-state symmetric supercapacitor based on these advanced electrodes demonstrated superior heat dissipation performance during the galvanostatic charge-discharge processes. This novel strategy provides a new example of effective thermal management for potential applications in energy storage devices.

Observation on Sodium p-Toluenesulfonate Doped Polypyrrole Cathode for Sodium Ion Battery

Sodium p-toluenesulfonate (TsONa)-doped polypyrrole (PPy) was synthesized as the cathode active material of sodium ion battery by way of facile one-step electrodeposition on iron (Fe) foil. The mic...

In-situ potentiostatic activation to optimize electrodeposited cobalt-phosphide electrocatalyst for highly efficient hydrogen evolution in alkaline media

We first report a novel cobalt-phosphide (Co-P) hybrid with flake-like structure by a facile one-step electrodeposition combined with in-situ potentiostatic activation technique. Exotic microstructure transformation of Co-P hybrid from microspheres to nanosheets has been noted during the activation process. The Co-P catalyst exhibits striking kinetic metrics with an overpotential of 85mV (at 10mAcm–2) and Tafel slope of 37mVdec–1, performing among the best of all the HER catalysts in strong alkaline media (at pH 14). This study offers a new in-situ approach to optimize catalytic materials for high-performance electrocatalysts towards energy-related applications.

Fabrication of polypyrrole/β-MnO2 modified graphite felt anode for enhancing recalcitrant phenol degradation in a bioelectrochemical system

In order to develop a highly efficient anode material for recalcitrant phenol degradation in bioelectrochemical system (BES), fabrication of polypyrrole (PPy)/β-MnO2 composite onto graphite felt (GF) electrode through facile one-step electrodeposition was investigated in this study. The successful coating of PPy/β-MnO2 onto GF surface was verified by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectrum and XPS. The improved electrochemical property of the GF electrode modified by PPy/β-MnO2 was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry analysis, chronoamperometric and electrochemical impedance spectra. The application of PPy/β-MnO2 modified GF electrodes in BES notarized the superior degradation performance towards phenol. Shorter startup time, higher mineralization efficiency and improved bacteria adhesion was achieved in BES using PPy/β-MnO2 modified GF as anode. Coulombic efficiencies of 17.3±0.5% in BES using PPy/β-MnO2 modified GF as anode was much higher than those in BES using PPy modified GF and blank GF as anode, which were as low as 12.1±2.4% and 6.6±1.3%, respectively. The key role of MnO2 and possible degradation pathway involved in phenol degradation was further proposed. The milder fabrication condition, improved electrochemical activity and increased phenol degradation efficiency suggest that PPy/β-MnO2/GF has a promising future in BES application for recalcitrant phenol catalytic degradation.

One-Step Electrodeposition of Nanocrystalline ZnxCo3-xO4 Films with High Activity and Stability for Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution.

The development of highly active, environmentally friendly, and long-term stable oxygen evolving catalysts at low costs is critical for efficient and scalable H2 production from water splitting. Here, we report a new and facile one-step electrodeposition of nanocrystalline spinel-type ZnxCo3-xO4 films from an alkaline Zn2+-Co2+-tartrate solution. The electrodeposited ZnxCo3-xO4 electrode could be directly used as the anode for the water electrolysis without any post treatment. The ZnxCo3-xO4 film shows a low and stable overpotential of ∼0.33 V at 10 mA cm-2 (and ∼0.35 V at 20 mA cm-2) for over 10 h and a Tafel slope of ∼39 mV dec-1 toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 1 M NaOH, comparable to the best performance of the nonprecious OER catalysts reported for alkaline media. The enhanced OER activity of ZnxCo3-xO4 compared to Co3O4 could be attributed to the surface structural modification and higher density of the accessible active Co3+ sites induced by the incorporation of Zn2+. The electrodeposition method in this paper could also be used to synthesize other binary and ternary metal oxide based catalytic electrodes for reactions such as the OER and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).

Hierarchical reduced graphene oxide supported dealloyed platinum–copper nanoparticles for highly efficient methanol electrooxidation

Exploiting highly efficient electrocatalysts through simple methods is very critical to the development of energy conversion technologies. Herein, we develop a hierarchical reduced graphene oxide supported dealloyed platinum–copper nanoparticle catalyst (Pt–Cu/RGO) by a facile one-step electrodeposition of graphene oxide in the presence of H2PtCl6 and copper ethylenediamine tetraacetate. The nanostructure and composition were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. Meanwhile, the electrocatalytic performance was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry, showing that the Pt–Cu/RGO catalyst not only equips with an outstanding electrocatalytic activity for the methanol oxidation reaction (2.3 times that of commercial Pt/C catalyst), but also shows a robust durability and superior tolerance to CO poisoning. The excellent electrocatalytic performance could be attributed to the three-dimensional hierarchical structure, porous dealloyed nanoparticles and synergistic effect between each component.

Three-level hierarchical superhydrophobic Cu–Zn coating on a steel substrate without chemical modification for self-cleaning property

A superhydrophobic Cu–Zn coating was fabricated on a steel surface by facile one-step electrodeposition, without being chemically modified by a low surface energy material.

Preparation of multi-functional superhydrophobic lanthanum surface on carbon steel via facile electrochemical method

We have constructed a superhydrophobic surface with lanthanum palmitate on carbon steel via a facile one-step electrodeposition. The morphology and chemical composition of the superhydrophobic surface were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy with attached energy dispersive X-ray spectrum, Fourier transform infrared spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The as-prepared surface with hierarchical structure has a largest contact angle of 160° ± 0.5° and a lowest sliding angle of 2° ± 0.5°. We found that both high electrodeposition potential and high concentrations lanthanum nitrate can accelerate the formation of superhydrophobic film. The electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the superhydrophobic surface exhibited excellent anti-corrosion performance in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. Moreover, we also investigated the chemical stability, self-cleaning and oil/water separation of the superhydrophobic film. We believe that the facile fabrication method provides a promising strategy to fabricate multi-functional superhydrophobic surface with lanthanide series rare-earth elements on kinds of substrates.

Pulsed voltage deposited lead selenide thin film as efficient counter electrode for quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells

Lead selenide (PbSe) thin films were deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass by a facile one-step pulse voltage electrodeposition method, and used as counter electrode (CE) in CdS/CdSe quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). A power conversion efficiency of 4.67% is received for the CdS/CdSe co-sensitized solar cells, which is much better than that of 2.39% received using Pt CEs. The enhanced performance is attributed to the extended absorption in the near infrared region, superior electrocatalytic activity and p-type conductivity with a reflection of the incident light at the back electrode in addition. The physical and chemical properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), reflectance spectra, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Tafel polarization measurements. The present work provides a facile pathway to an efficient CE in the QDSSCs.

Porous Co–P foam as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions

A high-performance bifunctional Co–P foam catalyst was successfully synthesized by facile one-step electrodeposition at a high cathodic current density.

Fabrication of durable anticorrosion superhydrophobic surfaces on aluminum substrates via a facile one-step electrodeposition approach

A facile one-step electrodeposition method was used to fabricate a hierarchical papillae-covered SHPS on an Al substrate with enhanced corrosion resistance (corrosion inhibition efficiency ~99.96%) and lotus-like self-cleaning effect.

Structure–function relationship of electrodeposited MoSx film in N, N-dimethyl-formamide/H2O mixture solvent as electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution

Nanostructured plate-like island molybdenum sulfides (MoSx) film has been synthesized successfully through a facile one-step electrodeposition method from the mixture solution of N, N-dimethyl-formamide (DMF) and H2O. The effect of different ratio of DMF to H2O on the MoSx film has been investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that when the ratio of DMF to H2O is 1:20, the as-prepared MoSx film exhibits maximum island structures, exposing most edges and rims. The electrochemical measurements confirm that MoSx film deposited in the mixed solution of VDMF: VH2O = 1:20 has the best hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity, with an overpotential of 80 mV. The improved HER activity may be attributed to the polarity difference of DMF-H2O and morphology directing of DMF. Therefore, using DMF–H2O mixture solution with the appropriate ratio may be a facile and effective way to prepare the excellent electrocatalysts for HER.

Structural, optical and magnetic properties of Cu2NiSnS4 thin films deposited by facile one-step electrodeposition

Multifunctional quaternary semiconductor Cu2NiSnS4 (CNTS) thin films have been successfully deposited on ITO glass substrates using a facile one-step electro-deposition method. The CNTS films with perfect stoichiometric ratio present a pure stannite phase after post-annealing at 550°C in H2S/N2 mixed atmosphere. The band gap of 1.61eV means great potential in low-cost thin film solar cells. The relationship between microstructure and magnetic properties is discussed.