Crystallographic and geometrical dependence of water oxidation activity in Co-based layered hydroxides

2022

Cobalt-based layered hydroxides (LHs) stand out as one of the best families of electroactive materials for the alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, fundamental aspects such as the influence of the crystalline structure and its connection with the geometry of the catalytic sites remains poorly understood. Thus, to address this we have conducted a thorough experimental and in silico study on the most essential Co-LHs (i.e.: ɑ-LH, β-LH and LDH) which allows us to understand the role of the layered structure and coordination environment of Co atoms on the OER performance. The ɑ-LH, containing both octahedral and tetrahedral sites, behaves as the best OER catalyst in comparison to …

Influence of crystallographic structure and metal vacancies on the oxygen evolution reaction performance of Ni-based layered hydroxides

2023

Nickel-based layered hydroxides (LHs) are a family of efficient electrocatalysts for the alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Nevertheless, fundamental aspects such as the influence of the crystalline structure and the role of lattice distortion of the catalytic sites remain poorly understood and typically muddled. Herein, we carried out a comprehensive investigation on ɑ-LH, β-LH and LDH phases, analysing the role exerted by Ni-vacancies by means of structural, spectroscopical, in-silico and electrochemical studies. Indeed, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, in agreement with X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), confirm that the presence of Ni-vacancies produces acute disto…

Room temperature synthesis of two-dimensional multilayer magnets based on α-CoII layered hydroxides

2022

Research on two-dimensional (2D) materials is one of the most active fields in materials science and nanotechnology. Among the members of the 2D family, layered hydroxides (LHs) represent an exceptional case of study due to their unparalleled chemical versatility which allows the modulation of their physicochemical properties at will. Nowadays, LHs based on earth-abundant metals are key materials in the areas of energy storage and conversion, hybrid materials or magnetism. ɑ-Co hydroxides (Simonkolleite-like structures) are promising phases with tuneable electronic and magnetic properties by ligand modification. However, even in the simple case of ɑ-CoII hydroxychlorides, the preparation of…

The Missing Link in the Magnetism of Hybrid Cobalt Layered Hydroxides: The Odd‐Even Effect of the Organic Spacer

2021

A dramatic change in the magnetic behaviour, which solely depends on the parity of the organic linker molecules, has been found in a family of layered CoII hydroxides covalently functionalized with dicarboxylic molecules. These layered hybrid materials have been synthesized at room temperature using a one-pot procedure through the epoxide route. While hybrids connected by odd alkyl chains exhibit coercive fields (Hc) below ca. 3500 Oe and show spontaneous magnetization at temperatures (TM) below 20 K, hybrids functionalized with even alkyl chains behave as hard magnets with Hc>5500 Oe and display a TM higher than 55 K. This intriguing behaviour was studied by density functional theory with …

Unveiling the Occurrence of Co(III) in NiCo Layered Electroactive Hydroxides: The Role of Distorted Environments

2020

Co- and Ni-based layered hydroxides constitute a unique class of two-dimensional inorganic materials with exceptional chemical diversity, physicochemical properties and outstanding performance as supercapacitors and overall water splitting catalysts. Recently, the occurrence of Co(III) in these phases has been proposed as a key factor that enhance their electrochemical performance. However, the origin of this centers and control over its contents remains as an open question. We employed the Epoxide Route to synthesize a whole set of α-NiCo layered hydroxides. The PXRD and XAS characterization alert about the occurrence of Co(III) as a consequence of the increment in the Ni content. DFT+U si…

Halide-Mediated Modification of Magnetism and Electronic Structure of α-Co(II) Hydroxides: Synthesis, Characterization, and DFT+U Simulations.

2019

The present study introduces a comprehensive exploration in terms of physicochemical characterization and calculations based on density functional theory with Hubbard's correction (DFT+U) of the whole family of α-Co(II) hydroxyhalide (F, Cl, Br, I). These samples were synthesized at room temperature by employing a one-pot approach based on the epoxide route. A thorough characterization (powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis/mass spectroscopy, and magnetic and conductivity measurements) corroborated by simulation is presented that analyzes the structural, magnetic, and electronic aspects. Beyond the inherent tendency of intercalated anions to …

Cover Feature: The Missing Link in the Magnetism of Hybrid Cobalt Layered Hydroxides: The Odd–Even Effect of the Organic Spacer (Chem. Eur. J. 3/2021)

2020