Phase impurities and point defects are often implicated as crucial to the function of semiconductor materials in various device applications. Access to phase-pure or pristine materials can provide valuable confirmation of the impact of such impurities. In the case of nickel-based materials used in photoelectrochemical or battery applications, phase-pure materials are very difficult to synthesize because typical production methods often promote the formation of phase impurities. This talk describes a solvothermal method that enables the synthesis of phase-pure Ni, NiO, and Ni2O3 and contrasts the electrochemical properties of these phase-pure materials with those of the commonly used mixed-phase samples. By controlling the solvothermal reaction environment through careful choice of solvent and precursor ligand, we gain unprecedented access to previously unavailable materials, such as colloidally stable, phase-pure NiO nanocrystals with diameters of ~5 nm, and pure Ni2O3 that does not contain the NiOOH contaminants typically reported. With these phase-pure materials, we distinguish the behavior of pure NiO from that of Ni or NiO/Ni mixtures, and thereby isolate the contributions that phase impurities make to the electrochemical and photoelectrochemical behavior of electrodes based on nickel-containing materials. As a primary electrochemical analysis, we employ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at various potentials to obtain information about electronic states of Ni, NiO, and Ni2O3 along with respective impure samples.

Contributions of phase impurities to the electrochemical properties of nanostructured nickel oxide electrodes

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.