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WS2@Co9S8@N/C core–shell as multifunctional electrocatalysts for dye-sensitized solar cell, oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction

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Abstract

It is promising strategy in recent years to design and prepare metal/carbon-based functional materials with different structures using metal–organic framework (MOF) composite precursors. Hollow multi-shell nanomaterials with large specific surface area and abundant active sites have become high energy conversion catalytic materials. The first prepared the transition metal chalcogenides of the nano-structure of the hollow core–shell and then grew the zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-67 in situ on the nanoparticles of core–shell. Then, through pyrolysis to obtain multilayer core–shell particles with porous outer shell of Co/N-doped carbon skeleton. WS2@Co9S8-2@N/C is applied in dye-sensitized solar cells as counter electrode material, showing good catalytic performance for I−/I3− redox reaction, and the power conversion efficiency is as high as 9.85%. As the electrode material of oxygen reduction reaction, the half-wave potential can reach E1/2 = 0.855 V. For oxygen evolution reaction tests, there is a low overvoltage of 1.757 V when the current density is 10 mV cm−1. In addition, the MOF can be grown in situ in different nanostructures, which can gain its advantages as a multifunctional material in terms of structure and multi-element, and this method can be applied to the fabricate of composite materials with different structures.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21566030), and Natural Science Foundation of Inner Mongolia (2015MS0205).

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  1. College of Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot, 010051, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaohui Liu, Xiaofeng Li, Xiaoqi Zhao, Yanfang Gao, Zhenzhu Cao & Jinrong Liu

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  1. Xiaohui Liu
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  2. Xiaofeng Li
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Liu, X., Li, X., Zhao, X. et al. WS2@Co9S8@N/C core–shell as multifunctional electrocatalysts for dye-sensitized solar cell, oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction. J Mater Sci 57, 6293–6307 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-022-07028-8

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