J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2024, Vol. 200: 176-184.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2024.02.068

• Research Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Electrodeposited CrMnFeCoNi Oxy-carbide film and effect of selective dissolution of Cr on oxygen evolution reaction

Tian Xiaoa, Chenghua Sunb,*, Rongguang Wangc,*   

  1. aGraduate School of Science and Technology, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, Hiroshima, Japan;
    bFaculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia;
    cDepartment of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, Hiroshima, Japan
  • Received:2023-12-18 Revised:2024-01-26 Accepted:2024-02-06 Published:2024-11-20 Online:2024-04-02
  • Contact: *E-mail addresses: chenghuasun@swin.edu.au (C. Sun), wangrg@cc.it-hiroshima.ac.jp (R. Wang).

Abstract: High entropy compounds were proven to exhibit excellent catalytic activity. Here, a series of amorphous CrMnFeCoNi Oxy-carbide films were successfully synthesized by one-step electrodeposition. As demonstrated, the film presented superior electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with an overpotential of 295 mV at a current density of 10 mA/cm2. Uniquely, selective dissolution of Chromium (Cr) was observed, which increased the catalytic activity and showed high stability under a large current density of up to 400 mA/cm2. Cr dissolution not only increased the surface area but also improved the conductivity due to newly formed metal-metal bonding, promoting electron transfer and improving OER performance. As revealed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, Cr-dissolution mediates the bonding of OER intermediates over surface active sites and ultimately reduces OER overpotential. The one-step electrodeposition method and the micro-dissolution mechanism provided a potential way to design and prepare high entropy compound electrodes, aiming to achieve efficient water electrolysis.

Key words: High entropy compound, Electrodeposition, Selective dissolution, Oxygen evolution reaction, Density functional theory