Unveiling inactive sulfur residue and benzoquinone moiety formation in sulfur-doped carbon for water electrooxidation

doi:10.1016/S1872-2067(23)64394-3

Abstract

Abstract:

Doping carbon materials with heteroatoms is an effective strategy to improve the catalytic performance of carbon materials through charge redistribution. Furthermore, heteroatom-doped carbon materials have been proven to be unstable and can be completely removed from the electrode via the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, since S has a electronegativity similar to that of C, the behavior of S-doped carbon materials under OER conditions might differ and thus deserves special attention. In this study, we investigated the structural evolution of S-doped carbon materials during the alkaline OER. It was observed that the S-doped graphite flake (S-GP) underwent oxidization. Notably, only partial S dopants dissolved in the form of sulfates, resulting in the emergence of new forms of S- and O-containing groups on the electrode. The results from well-designed experiments demonstrated that despite remaining on the electrode, the S-containing groups had no effect on the OER activity, and the high OER activity was attributed to the derived benzoquinone moiety. The dissolved sulfates further promoted OER activity when S-doped carbon materials were used as substrates for the Ni(OH)₂ anode. Our work reveals the real activity origin of S-doped materials towards OER, motivating researchers to reconsider the catalytic mechanism of the S-doped carbon materials and their supported composites for other reactions.

Key words: Oxygen evolution, Doped carbon material, Structural evolution, Sulfur, Quinone

Zhipu Zhang, Shanshan Lu, Bin Zhang, Yanmei Shi. Unveiling inactive sulfur residue and benzoquinone moiety formation in sulfur-doped carbon for water electrooxidation[J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2023, 47: 129-137.

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URL: https://www.cjcatal.com/EN/10.1016/S1872-2067(23)64394-3

https://www.cjcatal.com/EN/Y2023/V47/I4/129

Figures/Tables 6

Fig. 1. Comparison of the OER performances of the initial and activated S-GPs. LSV curves (a), Tafel slopes (b), and Nyquist plots (c) of initial and activated S-GPs. The corresponding oxygen Faradaic efficiencies of activated S-GP at the specific potentials are labeled in (a). (d) The durability of S-GP at a current density of 100 mA cm-2.

Fig. 2. Structural evolution of the S-containing groups of S-GP. (a) The atomic ratio of S and O in the initial and activated S-GPs based on the EDS analysis. S 2p XPS spectra (b), S K-edge XAS spectra (c), and Raman spectra (d) of initial and activated S-GPs. (e) Potential-dependent in situ Raman spectra of S-GP during the OER process.

Fig. 3. Structural evolution of the O-containing groups of S-GP. O 1s XPS (a) and C K-edge XAS (b) spectra of the initial and activated S-GPs. (c) Potential-dependent in situ ATR-FTIR spectra of S-GP during OER. (d) CV voltammogram of the activated S-GP.

Fig. 4. Illustration of the sulfidation of GP to form S-GP and the activation process of S-GP towards alkaline OER.

Fig. 5. Effect of hydrogen treatment on the activated S-GP. (a) Activity comparison of S-GP-H, S-GP-HA and activated S-GP; S 2p (b), O 1s XPS spectra (c), and O K-edge XAS spectra (d) of the S-GP-H and S-GP-HA.

Fig. 6. Investigating the OER mechanism of the Ni(OH)2/S-CP composite. (a) LSV curves of the Ni(OH)2/S-CP, Ni(OH)2/CP, and S-CP before and after activation; (b) LSV curves of the activated Ni(OH)2/S-CP and the same sample tested in renewed KOH.

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