KR-20260063860-A - A method for manufacturing a bifunctional electrocatalyst for both anode and cathode in water electrolysis, and an electrocatalyst for water electrolysis manufactured thereby

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a catalyst for anode and cathode dual-activity water electrolysis and a catalyst for water electrolysis manufactured thereby, comprising: a nanowire growth step ( NiCo₂O₄ /CC generation step) of growing NiCo₂O₄ nanowires on a carbon cloth (CC) substrate; a nanosheet synthesis step of forming a ruthenium (Ru)-doped NiFeAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) (Ru-NiFeAl LDH) on the NiCo₂O₄ nanowires; and a defect formation step of forming a void defect in the Ru-NiFeAl LDH. The catalyst for water electrolysis can simultaneously perform an efficient catalytic role in HER and OER.

Inventors

• 김도환
• 호아 반 히엔
• 다오 티 후옌

Assignees

• 전북대학교산학협력단

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20241031

Claims (6)

1. A nanowire growth step ( NiCo₂O₄ /CC generation step) for growing NiCo₂O₄ nanowires on a carbon cloth (CC) substrate; A nanosheet synthesis step of forming a ruthenium (Ru)-doped NiFeAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) (Ru-NiFeAl LDH) on the above NiCo₂O₄ nanowires ; and A defect formation step comprising forming a void defect in the above Ru-NiFeAl LDH, Method for manufacturing a catalyst for anode and cathode dual-activity water electrolysis.
2. In paragraph 1, The above nanowire growth step is, Carbon atom pretreatment step; A step of immersing the pretreated carbon cloth in a nitric acid solution and then washing it to adjust the carbon cloth to a neutral pH; and A method for manufacturing a catalyst for anode and cathode dual-activity water electrolysis, characterized by including the step of performing a hydrothermal reaction on the neutral carbon spring in an aqueous solution containing nickel nitrate hydrate (Ni( NO₃ ) ₂ · 6H₂O ), cobalt nitrate hydrate (Co( NO₃ ) ₂ · 6H₂O ), and urea.
3. In paragraph 2, The above preprocessing step is, A method for manufacturing a catalyst for anode and cathode dual-activity water electrolysis, characterized by including the step of placing the above-mentioned carbon cloth in acetone, deionized water, and ethanol and treating it with ultrasound.
4. In paragraph 1, The above nanosheet synthesis step is, A method for manufacturing a catalyst for anode and cathode dual-activity water electrolysis, characterized by including the step of hydrothermally reacting the above NiCO₂O₄ /CC in an aqueous solution containing nickel nitrate hydrate (Ni( NO₃ ) ₂ · 6H₂O ) , iron nitrate hydrate (Fe( NO₃ ) ₃ · 9H₂O ), urea, aluminum nitrate hydrate (Al( NO₃ ) ₃ ·9H₂O), and ruthenium chloride hydrate ( RuCl₃ · xH₂O ).
5. In paragraph 1, The above defect formation step is, A method for manufacturing a catalyst for anode and cathode dual-activity water electrolysis, characterized by including the step of etching the above Ru-NiFeAl LDH with an alkaline solution.
6. Nanowires composed of NiCo₂O₄ formed on a carbon (CC) substrate; and It comprises a nanosheet formed on the above nanowire and composed of ruthenium (Ru)-doped NiFeAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) (Ru-NiFeAl LDH), and A number of void defects (def) are formed in the above Ru-NiFeAl LDH, and Indicated as def -Ru-NiFeAl LDH/ NiCo₂O₄ /CC, Anode and cathode dual-active catalyst for water electrolysis.

Description

A method for manufacturing a bifunctional electrocatalyst for both anode and cathode in water electrolysis, and an electrocatalyst for water electrolysis manufactured thereby The present invention relates to a technology for manufacturing a catalyst for water electrolysis, and more specifically, to a technology for manufacturing a dual-function water electrolysis catalyst that exhibits excellent activity and efficiency in both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and can perfectly replace precious metal water electrolysis catalysts with equivalent or superior effects. Hydrogen production through water electrolysis is a promising approach to solving global energy problems. However, inefficiencies stemming from the slow kinetics of the multi-step proton-coupled electron transfer process in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are recognized as a challenge that needs to be addressed. Additionally, the slow kinetics of the hydrogen adsorption/desorption processes constituting the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at the cathode also require resolution. Currently, precious metal-based catalyst materials such as Pt, RuO2 , and IrO2 are well known as excellent electrocatalysts for HER and OER. However, their practical applications are currently limited due to scarcity, high costs, and poor stability. Due to these limitations, extensive efforts are being made to develop cost-effective, durable, and high-efficiency catalysts based on abundant metals. To overcome this, transition metal compounds including oxides, hydroxides, phosphides, carbides, nitrides, and chalcogenides are being studied as alternative catalysts. The aforementioned catalytic materials are being studied as promising electrocatalysts for water electrolysis due to advantageous properties such as unique structures and abundant active sites; among these, layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are receiving particular attention due to their solubility, unique interlayer structure, and excellent catalytic activity. In particular, NiFe LDHs are known as highly active catalysts for OER in alkaline environments. However, they have limitations as water electrolysis catalysts and, furthermore, as various industrial catalysts due to limited durability and low conductivity. Meanwhile, conventional precious metal catalysts such as Pt-C, RuO2 , or IrO2, which are used as water electrolysis catalysts as described above, are not only very expensive but may also require non-inductive polymer binders depending on the use of inductive powders, which can lead to a decrease in catalytic performance. These factors act as limiting factors for the scalability of the precious metal-based catalysts. Therefore, the need for the development of novel water splitting catalysts that can be utilized in various ways across diverse industrial fields as catalysts for water splitting, particularly seawater splitting, is continuously increasing. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram conceptually illustrating a method for manufacturing a catalyst for anode and cathode dual-activity water electrolysis according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an SEM image and analysis graph showing the appearance of the synthesized nanowire. Figure 3 is a STEM image and analysis graph showing the appearance of def-Ru-NiFe LDH/NCO. Figure 4 shows graphs illustrating the Raman and XPS spectrum results of each component. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the OER and HER reaction characteristics of a water electrolysis catalyst according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an image and graphs showing the energy characteristics of a water electrolysis catalyst according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the electrode characteristics of a water electrolysis catalyst according to one embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a catalyst for anode and cathode dual-activity water electrolysis and the manufactured catalyst according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the following descriptions are exemplary descriptions intended to explain the embodied aspects of the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention is not limited by the following descriptions. The technical concept of the present invention may be interpreted and limited only by the claims set forth below. Meanwhile, conventional terms such as 'examples' (table of contents) are excluded, and contents corresponding to the examples or various experiments are appropriately included in the detailed description of the invention without a special format to promote a thorough understanding of the invention. Developing layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as dual-function catalysts for efficiently decomposing water by controlling the composition and structure of the material is a challenging task. In th