Qiang Tao

Bio: Qiang Tao is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Hydrogen production & Raw material. The author has co-authored 2 publications.

Constructing 1D Boron Chains in the Structure of Transition Metal Monoborides for Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

Abstract: The forms of boron atoms are many and varied in the structure of transition metal borides (TMBs). The form of boron atoms determines the structure, morphology, and properties of borides. Herein, transition metal monoborides (CrB and WB) with different arrangement of one-dimensional (1D) boron chains were synthesized under high pressures and high temperatures. The 1D boron chains between the interlayers of CrB are parallel to one another, while the 1D boron chains between the interlayers of WB are perpendicular to one another. The morphologies of CrB and WB also show large differences due to the difference in 1D boron chain arrangement. As electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs), CrB and WB show good catalysis activity and durability. WB has the smallest overpotential (210 mV) and Tafel slope (90.09 mV dec−1), which is mainly attributed to the intercrossing boron chains improving the electrical properties of WB, as well as the 5d electrons of W being more chemically active. The TOF value of WB is 1.35 s−1, proving that WB has a higher intrinsic catalytic activity during HERs. This work provides a data reference for the development of high-efficiency electrocatalysts.

High-temperature and high-pressure microstructure regulation and control method of electrocatalytic hydrogen production material

Abstract: The invention discloses a high-temperature and high-pressure microstructure regulation and control method of an electrocatalytic hydrogen production material, and belongs to the technical field of property regulation and control of water splitting hydrogen production materials The preparation method comprises: taking MoS2 with the particle size of micron grade as a raw material, carrying out powder pressing molding on the raw material under the pressure of megapascal grade, then carrying out high-temperature and high-pressure treatment under the pressure of 1-5GPa at 25-600 DEG C, carrying out heat preservation and pressure preservation for 15 minutes, then carrying out cooling and pressure relieving to obtain the hydrogen production material with a regulated microstructure The controllable preparation of the microstructure is realized by using a one-step high-temperature and high-pressure method, the process is simple, the experiment time is short, the efficiency is high, and the method has important significance on the research of a novel catalytic material

Surface Modification towards Integral Bulk Catalysts of Transition Metal Borides for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract: Transition metal borides (TMBs) are promising catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). While the commercially available TMBs indicate poor HER performance due to powder electrode and low activity sites density, optimizing commercial TMBs for better HER performance is urgent. To break through the challenge, a new strategy is proposed to compose integral bulk electrodes with needle surfaces in TMBs. The integral bulk electrodes in TiB2, ZrB2, and HfB2 are formed under high pressure and high temperature (HPHT), and the nanoneedle morphology is constructed by chemical etching. In the three materials, the smallest overpotential is 346 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in the HCl etched bulk TiB2 electrode, which is about 61.9% higher than commercial TiB2 powder. Better performance arises from better conductivity of the integral bulk electrode, and the nano morphology exposes the edge sides of the structure which have high activity site density. This work is significant for developing new kinds of bulk TMBs catalysts.

Efficient Synthesis of WB5-x-WB2 Powders with Selectivity for WB5-x Content.

Abstract: We proposed an efficient method toward the synthesis of higher tungsten boride WB5-x in the vacuumless direct current atmospheric arc discharge plasma. The crystal structure of the synthesized samples of boron-rich tungsten boride was determined using computational techniques, showing a two-phase system. The ab initio calculations of the energies of various structures with similar X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns allowed us to determine the composition of the formed higher tungsten boride. We determined the optimal parameters of synthesis to obtain samples with 61.5% WB5-x by volume. The transmission electron microscopy measurements showed that 90% of the particles have sizes of up to 100 nm, whereas the rest of them may have sizes from 125 to 225 nm. Our study shows the possibility of using the proposed vacuumless method as an efficient and inexpensive way to synthesize superhard WB5-x without employing resource-consuming vacuum techniques.