Electrosynthesized Ni-P nanospheres with high activity and selectivity towards photoelectrochemical plastics reforming

Efficient and selective generation of hydrogen and formic acid from photoelectrochemical plastics reforming. [Display omitted] •Facile synthesis of Ni-P/CNTs composite with high HER activity was revealed.•Role of P in determining electrocatalytic activity of Ni-P was uncovered.•CV-activated Ni-P sho...

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Published in:	Applied catalysis. B, Environmental Environmental, 2021-11, Vol.296, p.120351, Article 120351
Main Authors:	Lin, Chia-Yu, Huang, Shih-Ching, Lin, Yan-Gu, Hsu, Liang-Ching, Yi, Chih-Ting
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Carbon nanotubes Chemicals Electrocatalysts Electrosynthesis Formic acid Hydrogen Hydrogen production Mitigation Nanorods Nanospheres Nanotechnology Nanotubes Nickel Nickel-phosphorus alloy Oxidation Phosphorus Photoelectrochemical water splitting Photosynthesis Plastic debris Plastics reforming Polyethylene Polyethylene terephthalate Reforming Selectivity Titanium dioxide
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Summary:	Efficient and selective generation of hydrogen and formic acid from photoelectrochemical plastics reforming. [Display omitted] •Facile synthesis of Ni-P/CNTs composite with high HER activity was revealed.•Role of P in determining electrocatalytic activity of Ni-P was uncovered.•CV-activated Ni-P showed high activity towards oxidation of water, EG and PET.•CV-activated Ni-P showed high selectivity in converting EG and PET into formate.•Efficient and selective PEC platform for plastics reforming was demonstrated. Photoelectrochemical reforming of plastic waste offers an environmentally-benign and sustainable route for hydrogen generation. Nonetheless, little attention was paid to develop electrocatalysts that can efficiently and selectively catalyze oxidative transformation of valueless plastic wastes into valued chemicals. Herein, we report on facile electrosynthesis of nickel-phosphorus nanospheres (nanoNi-P), and their versatility in catalyzing hydrogen generation, water oxidation, and reforming of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Notably, composite of nanoNi-P with carbon nanotubes (CNT/nanoNi-P) requires −180 mV overpotential to drive hydrogen generation at -100 mA cm−2. Besides, CV-activated nanoNi-P (nanoNi-P(CV)) was shown to be capable of reforming PET into formate with high selectivity (Faradic efficiency= ∼100 %). Efficient and selective generation of hydrogen and formate from PET reforming is realized utilizing an Earth-abundant photoelectrochemical platform based on nanoNi-P(CV)-modified TiO2 nanorods photoanode and CNT/nanoNi-P cathode. This work paves a path for developing artificial leaf for simultaneous environmental mitigation and photosynthesis of renewable fuels and valued chemicals.
ISSN:	0926-3373 1873-3883