Mengjun Xiao (Author), Qianbao Wu (Author), Ruiqi Ku (Author), Liujiang Zhou (Author), Chang Long (Author), Junwu Liang (Author), Andraž Mavrič (Author), Lei Li (Author), Jing Zhu (Author), Matjaž Valant (Author)

Abstract

Electrochemical chlorine evolution reaction is of central importance in the chlor-alkali industry, but the chlorine evolution anode is largely limited by water oxidation side reaction and corrosion-induced performance decay in strong acids. Here we present an amorphous CoOxCly catalyst that has been deposited in situ in an acidic saline electrolyte containing Co2+ and Cl- ions to adapt to the given electrochemical condition and exhibits ~100% chlorine evolution selectivity with an overpotential of ~0.1 V at 10 mA cm−2 and high stability over 500 h. In situ spectroscopic studies and theoretical calculations reveal that the electrochemical introduction of Cl- prevents the Co sites from charging to a higher oxidation state thus suppressing the O-O bond formation for oxygen evolution. Consequently, the chlorine evolution selectivity has been enhanced on the Cl-constrained Co-O* sites via the Volmer-Heyrovsky pathway. This study provides fundamental insights into how the reactant Cl-itself can work as a promoter toward enhancing chlorine evolution in acidic brine.

Keywords

catalyst synthesis;electrocatalysis;chlorine evolution;

Data

Language: English
Year of publishing:
Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization: UNG - University of Nova Gorica
UDC: 53
COBISS: 163147779 Link will open in a new window
ISSN: 2041-1723
Views: 728
Downloads: 6
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Other data

Type (COBISS): Not categorized
Pages: str. 1-11
Volume: ǂVol. ǂ14
Issue: article no. 5356
Chronology: 2023
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41070-7
ID: 21843043