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A functional hydrogenase mimic that catalyzes robust H2 evolution spontaneously in aqueous environment

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Abstract

Although great progress has been made in improving hydrogen production, highly efficient catalysts, which are able to produce hydrogen in a fast and steady way at ambient temperature and pressure, are still in large demand. Here, we report a [NiCo]-based hydrogenase mimic, NiCo2O4 nanozyme, that can catalyze robust hydrogen evolution spontaneously in water without external energy input at room temperature. This hydrogenase nanozyme facilitates water splitting reaction by forming a three-center Ni–OH–Co bond analogous to the [NiFe]-hydrogenase reaction by using aluminum as electron donor, and realizes hydrogen evolution with a high production rate of 915 L·h−1 per gram of nanozymes, which is hundreds of times higher than most of the natural hydrogenase or hydrogenase mimics. Furthermore, the NiCo2O4 nanozyme can robustly disrupt the adhesive oxidized layer of aluminum and enable the full consumption of electrons from aluminum. In contrast to the often-expensive synthetic catalysts that rely on rare elements and consume high energy, we envision that this NiCo2O4 nanozyme can potentially provide an upgrade for current hydrogen evolution, accelerate the development of scale-up hydrogen production, and generate a clean energy future.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. T2225026, 82172087, 22025604, 82071308, and 52202344), the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2022YFA120012501), and Beijing Institute of Technology Research Fund Program for Young Scholars.

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  1. Ningning Song, Zhanjun Guo, and Shuo Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Experimental Center of Advanced Materials, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China

    Ningning Song, Zhanjun Guo, Yongli Li & Minmin Liang

  2. School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China

    Shuo Wang & Meishuai Zou

  3. Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Yunpeng Liu

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  1. Ningning Song
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  2. Zhanjun Guo
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Correspondence to Meishuai Zou or Minmin Liang.

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Song, N., Guo, Z., Wang, S. et al. A functional hydrogenase mimic that catalyzes robust H2 evolution spontaneously in aqueous environment. Nano Res. 17, 3942–3949 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-6399-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-6399-y

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