배터리 소재를 이용한 전이금속 화합물 기반 물 분해 촉매 개발

Developing efficient transition metal-based water splitting catalyst using rechargeable battery materials

Water splitting is regarded as one of the most environmentally benign routes for hydrogen production. Nevertheless, the low energy efficiency to produce the hydrogen has been a critical bottleneck, which is attributable to the multielectron and multi-step reactions during water splitting reaction. In this respect, the development of efficient, durable, and inexpensive catalysts that can promote the reaction is indispensable. Extensive searching for new catalysts has been carried out for past decades, identifying several promising catalysts. Recently, researchers have found that conventional battery materials; particularly high-voltage intercalation-based cathode materials, could exhibit remarkable performance in catalyzing the water splitting process. One of the unique capabilities in this class of materials is that the valency state of metals and the atomic arrangement of the structure can be easily tailored, based on simple intercalation chemistry. Moreover, taking advantage of the rich prior knowledge on the intercalation compounds can offer the unexplored path to identify new water splitting catalysts.