Ram K. Gupta
Pittsburg State University USA
Title: Improved 2-Dimensional Materials for Hydrogen Evolution Reactions
Biography
Biography: Ram K. Gupta
Abstract
Hydrogen production from water electrolysis is one of the greenest ways to generate fuel for commercial applications. Commercial application of water electrolysis requires low cost, high performance and stable electrocatalysts which can operate at low overpotential. The current state-of-the-art noble metal-based electrocatalysts such as platinum are the most efficient electrocatalysts for water electrolysis, however, their high cost and limited availability have curtailed their extensive use as electrocatalysts. In this research, we have synthesized a catalyst using a cost-effective method for water electrolysis. The 2-dimensional catalyst was synthesized using earth abounding elements and its electrocatalytic activities were improved by one step facile chemical treatment. Core-shell nanostructured 2-dimensional molybdenum sulfide was synthesized using chemical vapor deposition method and was treated with hydrazine to improve its catalytic activities. Hydrazine treated catalyst showed significant improvement in the electrocatalytic performance. They showed about 100 mV improvement in overpotential after exposure to dilute hydrazine at room temperature with a significant change in Tafel slope. Mechanism of such improvement in the catalytic properties will be discussed in detail. Our studies suggest that simple chemical treatment process can be adopted to improve catalytic properties of 2-dimentional material which was derived from earth abundant elements for industrial production of hydrogen as a fuel.