Valorization of the inedible pistachio shells into nanoscale transition metal and nitrogen codoped carbon-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract Making a consistency with the objectives of circular economy, herein, waste pistachios shells were utilized for development hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen reduction (ORR) electrocatalysts which are key bottleneck in technological electrolyzers fuel cells, respectively. As an alternative to scarce expensive platinum-group-metal (PGM) electrocatalysts, metal nitrogen carbons (MNCs) emerging as promising candidate both aforementioned electrocatalysis where iron nickel choice ORR HER, Therefore, FeNCs NiNCs fabricated utilizing inedible pistachio low-cost biosource carbon. The steps involved fabrication electrocatalyst correlated electrochemical performance alkaline media. Encouraging onset potential ~ 0.88 V vs RHE possibility 2 + pathway was observed pyrolyzed ball-milled FeNC. However, HF etching template removal slightly affected kinetics eventually resulted relatively higher yield peroxide. In parallel, NiNC demonstrated lower HER overpotential 0.4 at ? 10 mA cm ?2 . Nevertheless, acid washing adversely consequently, very high witnessed.