Nickel-Coated Copper Foam Electrocatalytic Electrode for Energy-Saving Hydrogen Evolution and Value-Added Chemical Cogeneration Muhammad Wasim, Muhammad Tayyab, Ali Arbab, Abdul Zeeshan Khan, Zulakha Zafar, Muhammad Arshad, Rida Javed, Maira Liaqat, Xian‐Zhu Fu, Jing‐Li Luo Chemsuschem, 2025 Developing cost‐effective, eco‐friendly electrocatalysts is essential for enhanced water electrolysis. The efficient, affordable, and earth‐abundant electrocatalysts like 3D copper foam (CuF) provide ideal porous structures for rapid ion transport during water electrolysis. In this study, a bimetallic foam architecture (CuF@Ni) is fabricated by electrodeposition of Ni on CuF. This structure acts as both conductive support and active catalyst during the water electrolysis process. The synthesized CuF@Ni demonstrated superior hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity with an overpotential of 0.18 V at 50 mA cm−2, while the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) overpotential exhibits 0.14 V at 50 mA cm−2 current density. CuF@Ni electrocatalytic electrode achieved a Faradaic efficiency ≈100% during 150 C charge transfer. In a co‐generation system, the onset potential is observed as lower 0.4 V, and CuF@Ni required only 0.92 V to sustain the current density of 50 mA cm−2, demonstrating significant energy savings. Furthermore, this device consumes less power than theoretical water electrolysis under higher current density. The electrochemical stability of 100 h and 120 h achieved for HER and MOR, respectively, confirmed minimal degradation under the harsh conditions. This study highlights CuF@Ni as a promising dual‐functional electrocatalyst for efficient energy conversion and future renewable energy applications.
Breaking barriers: Novel approaches to proton-conducting oxide materials Muhammad Tayyab, Sajid Rauf, Abdul Zeeshan Khan, Zuhra Tayyab, Karim Khan, Iftikhar Hussain, Muhammad Bilal Hussain, Muhammad Waseem, Abdullah N. Alodhayb, Xian-Zhu Fu, Muhammad Qasim, Yibin Tian Ceramics International, 2024 The quest for sustainable energy solutions drives ongoing research into proton-conducting oxides , also known as protonic ceramics, which hold promise for revolutionizing electrochemical energy technologies. These materials exhibit unique proton conductivity at moderate temperatures, offering advantages over traditional electrolytes. Since Francis Forrat's mid-20th-century discovery of ceramic proton conduction, significant advancements have propelled the field forward, focusing on fuel cells, electrolysis cells, and other energy applications. Challenges persist, including poor electrode adhesion and the need for cost-effective fabrication methods. Recent studies explored cathode material design, innovative fabrication techniques like rapid laser reactive sintering, and theoretical simulations using density functional theory to understand proton migration mechanisms. This review discusses the properties, methodologies, innovations, applications, and future directions of proton-conducting oxide materials. By addressing existing challenges and exploring emerging opportunities, this review aims to contribute valuable insights to the evolving field of protonic ceramics as it continues to evolve.
Nanostructured BiVO4 Photoanodes Fabricated by Vanadium-Infused Interaction for Efficient Solar Water Splitting Amar K. Salih, Abdul Zeeshan Khan, Qasem Drmosh, Tarek Kandiel, Mohammad Qamar, Tahir Jahangir, Cuong Ton-That, Zain Yamani ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2024 Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) has emerged as a highly prospective material for photoanodes in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation. However, current limitations with this material lie in the difficulties in producing stable and continuous BiVO4 layers with efficient carrier transfer kinetics, thereby impeding its widespread application in water splitting processes. This study introduces a new fabrication approach that yields continuous, monoclinic nanostructured BiVO4 films, paving the way for their use as photoanodes in efficient PEC water oxidation for hydrogen production under solar light conditions. The fabrication involves the intercalation of vanadium (V) ions into Bi2O3 films at 450oC. Upon interaction with V ions, the film undergoes a transformation from tetragonal Bi2O3 to monoclinic scheelite BiVO4. This synthesis method enables the fabrication of single monoclinic phase BiVO4 films with thicknesses up to 270 nm. The engineered monoclinic BiVO4 film, devoid of any pinholes that could cause carrier loss, exhibits a robust photocurrent of 1.0 mA/cm2 at 1.23 VRHE in a neutral electrolyte, without requiring additional modifications or doping. Moreover, we demonstrate that the incorporation of a cobalt phosphate (Co-Pi) co-catalyst into the BiVO4 photoanode significantly enhances the lifetime of photogenerated holes by a factor of nine, resulting in a further elevation of the photocurrent to 2.9 mA/cm2. This remarkable PEC enhancement can be attributed to the surface state passivation by the Co-Pi co-catalyst. Our fabrication approach opens up a new facile route for producing large-scale, highly efficient BiVO4 photoanodes for PEC water splitting technology.
Effect of molybdenum doping Zn-Co spinel oxide microspheres for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen production in alkaline media and study supported by DFT Refah Saad Alkhaldi, Mohammed Ashraf Gondal, Abdul Zeeshan Khan, Mohamed Jaffer Sadiq Mohamed, Serkan Caliskan, Munirah A. Almessiere, Abdulhadi Baykal, Yassine Slimani Nano Structures and Nano Objects, 2024 The rational design of efficient transition metal-based electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is critical for the water-splitting process. Industrial water-alkali electrolysis requires large current densities at low overpotentials, which are always limited by the intrinsic activity. Here, ZnCo2−xMoxO4 (x ≤ 0.10) spinel oxide microsphere electrocatalysts were synthesized for the process in alkaline media. Mo doping in the ZnCo2O4 crystal structure enhanced the active sites, which were responsible for the enhancement in the HER process. The ZnCo2−xMoxO4 (x = 0.06) electrocatalyst exhibited exceptional HER activity, as evidenced by an overpotential of 195 mV, Tafel slope of 81.4 mVs−1 and high stability for 40 h with 1000 cycles linear sweep voltammetry. The surface and electrochemical characterization revealed that 6% Mo-doping exhibits improved the HER activity due to a significantly higher electrochemical surface area and accelerated charge transfer kinetics at the semiconductor electrolyte interface. Density functional theory (DFT) for exploring and explaining the effect of the Mo dopants on the HER activity elucidated that hydrogen and water molecules are adsorbed on the surface of the Mo-doped ZnCo2O4 slab structures. The results show that Mo dopants enhance the chemical activity, due to water adsorption, and HER activity for enhanced electrocatalytic processes. This work provides a new insight into low-metal-cost materials for efficient and durable HER electrocatalysts and successfully showcases the catalyst model for a detailed mechanistic insight into the HER process.
