Metal carbides have received significant interest in recent years as catalysts for several energy conversion processes due to their low cost, enhanced stability, and high activity. By combining metal oxides with organic amines, we have synthesized composite precursor materials that are readily transformed into metal carbides at temperatures as low as 600°C. This synthetic control has also enabled us to control morphology, composition, and crystal structure of these materials in a size regime that was previously unavailable. With this enhanced synthetic ability, these carbide nanomaterials are now being tested for their Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) and Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) activities in both acidic and basic solutions. The stability and electronic structure of these carbide materials makes them promising catalysts and a perfect class of materials for further exploration and enhanced catalytic activities. By studying the activity of single metal carbides and their stability in acidic and basic solutions, we have been able to enhance the catalytic activity by including a second metal in small amounts (doping) or as a solid solution of two metals.

Synthesis and water splitting electrocatalysis of metal carbide compounds

251st National Meeting (2016)

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