Executive Summary : | The search for cheap and abundant energy sources has led to the development of hydrogen (H₂) fuel, which has a high mass-energy density and renewability. Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a simple method for obtaining H2, but its efficiency is often hindered by high activation energy and large overpotentials (η). Heterogeneous catalysts can lower η by decreasing activation energy, making them integral to HER. Non-metal catalysts like noble metals (NMC) are scarce and expensive, making them impractical for industry-level applications. Transition metal-based chalcogenides (TMC) have been extensively investigated, but their modification processes are unfavorable for long-term stability. Metal oxides have advantages of easy mass-scale production but are hindered by their stability in acidic mediums. A vanadium oxide-based catalyst (VOC) has been shown to induce HER reaction with moderate η and in an acidic medium, but its activity is lower compared to NMCs and best-performing TMCs. This project aims to optimize vanadium chalcogenides for HER by optimizing the V(IV)/V(V) ratio, manipulating interlayer spacing of VO nanostructures, and selectively doping VOs for optimum active site generation without destabilizing the structure. Catalysts will be synthesized and modified predominantly by chemical routes, with as-synthesized materials characterized by XRD, XPS, FT-IR, Raman, SEM, HRTEM, and voltammetric techniques. The modified and optimized vanadium oxide nanomaterial is expected to lead to an excellent HER electrocatalyst that could potentially replace noble metal-based catalysts for HER in the long run. |