Hydrogen (HER) and Oxygen (OER) evolution reactions play a fundamental role in the field of green and environmental sustainability, because they are key reactions for water electrolysis. In this work copper (Cu) nanoparticles (NPs) are produced by pulsed laser ablation in liquid from a copper target in the framework of developing a low-cost, earth abundant and non-pollutant electrocatalyst. Various solvent and energy fluence are explored. Electrodes have been realized by drop-casting Cu NPs onto Nickel foam (NF) substrate, with a catalyst loading in the order of some μg/cm2. Electrochemical measurements have performed at room temperature in alkaline ambient and a three-electrode setup. The catalytic activity of the NPs is relevant already at 10mA/cm2 and the improvement with respect to the bare substrate become more evident at higher current densities. The ultra-low amount of the catalyst material makes these electrodes competitive in terms of mass activity compared to the state of the art.

Cu-based nanocatalyst by pulsed laser ablation in liquid for water splitting: Effect of the solvent

Ruffino, Francesco
;
Terrasi, Antonio;Bruno, Elena;Reitano, Riccardo;Grimaldi, Maria Grazia;Boscarino, Stefano
2024-01-01

Abstract

Hydrogen (HER) and Oxygen (OER) evolution reactions play a fundamental role in the field of green and environmental sustainability, because they are key reactions for water electrolysis. In this work copper (Cu) nanoparticles (NPs) are produced by pulsed laser ablation in liquid from a copper target in the framework of developing a low-cost, earth abundant and non-pollutant electrocatalyst. Various solvent and energy fluence are explored. Electrodes have been realized by drop-casting Cu NPs onto Nickel foam (NF) substrate, with a catalyst loading in the order of some μg/cm2. Electrochemical measurements have performed at room temperature in alkaline ambient and a three-electrode setup. The catalytic activity of the NPs is relevant already at 10mA/cm2 and the improvement with respect to the bare substrate become more evident at higher current densities. The ultra-low amount of the catalyst material makes these electrodes competitive in terms of mass activity compared to the state of the art.
2024
OER
Cu
HER
Hydrogen
Water splitting
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11769/625949
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