Method of manufacturing electrocatalyst through one step electrodeposition and electrocatalyst manufactured therefrom

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing an electrocatalyst. The method may include forming a metal layer on a substrate, treating a substrate of the metal layer, and forming a catalyst layer on the metal layer by applying potential to an aqueous deposition solution including a nickel precursor, a copper precursor, a phosphorus precursor, and an additive, in which a molar ratio of the nickel precursor to the copper precursor may be greater than about 49:1. Accordingly, the present invention has an advantage in that the process of manufacturing the electrocatalyst may be simplified.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0095514, filed on Aug. 16, 2018, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an electrocatalyst by electrodeposition.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Since the current hydrogen energy has received attention as an eco-friendly energy capable of replacing fossil fuels and the hydrogen energy can be produced only by electrolysis of water, interests in studies on an electrocatalyst that produces hydrogen energy by electrolyzing water have been increased.[0004]Typically, the electrocatalyst is composed of a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrode and an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrode. Platinum (Pt) has been the most widely known as a material for each electrode. However, sin...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent text describes a new method for making an electrocatalyst, which can reduce the amount of additives used during the process. The method also includes a way to remove moisture. This can make the manufacturing process simpler and more efficient.

Problems solved by technology

However, since platinum corresponds to a noble metal and has a limitation on reserves, studies on using a metal rich in reserves, such as iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and cobalt (Co) as an element to replace platinum, particularly, studies on using a heterogeneous metal as a material for an electrocatalyst have been actively conducted.

However, a manufacturing process is complicated with being subjected to a carbonization process at 800° C. and a post-heat treatment process at 300° C. using a metal-organic framework (MOF) as a precursor and only the activity in a strong base (pH 13.5) electrolyte has been reported.

In addition, in the related arts, a material in which a nickel (Ni) foam has been doped with cobalt, which may involve a complicated process such as formation of a layered nanostructure (three-layered morphology) on the surface of the nickel foam using a sphere lithography process.

However, the addition of phosphorus requires a process at 300° C., and thus is not efficient in terms of costs.

Further, because additives for various purposes are used, such as the use of SDS and Na2SO4 as an ion strengthening agent and the use of aqueous ammonia as a pH adjusting agent, the process may not be simplified.

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