Transition Metal Ion-Induced High Electrocatalytic Performance of Conducting Polymer for Oxygen and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

Here, it is discovered that the conductive polymers with heteroatoms, such as polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PANI), are electroactive for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) or oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the heteroatoms in the conducting polymers, such as N, can induce the formation of the electrocatalytic active centers (EACs). For further enhancement of performance, the transition metal ion (TMI)-doped conductive polymers (such as Co(II)-doped PPy and Fe(III)-doped PANI) supported on nickel foam are developed as low-cost and high-performance electrocatalysts for HER or OER. Here, it is demonstrated that the TM. N bonds in TMI-doped conductive polymer can efficiently create high EACs and obviously lower energy barriers of intermediates and products of HER or OER. The experimental results show that the TMI-doped conductive polymer exhibits significantly improved electrocatalytic performance, such as low onset potential, high electrocatalytic activity, and excellent long-term durability. The results suggest the great promise of developing a new family of TMI-doped conducting polymers as low-cost and high-performance electrocatalysts for HER and OER in alkaline media.