Atomically thin titanium carbide used as high-efficient, low-cost and stable catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

Addressed herein, a highly effective, low-cost and stable TiC nanocatalyst was successfully synthesized through ultrasonic exfoliation of commercial TiC in deionized water and its application as a catalyst in the oxygen reduction reaction is outlined. A facile ultrasonic exfoliation was applied to fabricate atomically thin TiC. The structure, morphology, composition and catalytic properties of atomically thin TiC were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electrochemical methods. Atomically thin TiC possesses superior ORR activity in terms of catalytic performance, methanol tolerance, and long-term durability. This work has been provided a low-cost, efficient and stable substitute catalyst for Pt/C to promote the industrialization for energy storage and conversion devices. (C) 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.