A Catalyst, in Particular a Single-Atom Catalyst, for Use in a Water Splitting Process and a Method for Preparing the Same

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This invention discloses a novel single-atom catalyst for water splitting, using tungsten carbide as a support material derived from a tungstate-metal-aryl precursor. The active sites are single or bi-atomic metals (such as Fe, Ni, Ru, or their combinations) anchored on the tungsten carbide support. The catalyst enables both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with exceptionally low overpotentials and high durability. The patent also details a synthetic method for preparing these catalysts, which involves forming a metal-organic precursor and thermally processing it to yield the final material.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Electrolyzers for clean hydrogen production via water splitting.
• Sustainable energy storage solutions (converting electrical energy into storable hydrogen).
• Fuel cell systems where efficient catalysts for OER and HER are required.
• Large-scale industrial hydrogen generation plants relying on renewable energy.
• Laboratory-scale research and development of advanced electrocatalysts for water splitting.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables highly efficient water splitting with lower energy input due to reduced overpotentials.
• Improved durability and chemical stability compared to carbon-based single-atom catalysts, owing to tungsten carbide support.
• Excellent mass activity and turnover frequency surpassing state-of-the-art non-noble and even noble metal catalysts for OER and HER.
• Versatile: suitable for both OER (oxygen generation) and HER (hydrogen generation) as part of water splitting.
• Scalable and tunable synthesis, allowing control over the atomic composition and catalyst loading.
• Lower reliance on expensive noble metals, enabling cost-effective deployment.

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Patent Abstract

The invention refers to a catalyst, in particular a single-atom catalyst, for use in a water splitting process comprising at least one support material and at least one metal catalyst deposited on the surface of the at least one support material, wherein the at least one support material is made of tungsten carbide obtained from a tungstate - metal- aryl compound - precursor, and the at least one metal catalyst is selected from a group comprising Fe, Ni, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, V, Ru, Ir, Ca, Pd, Pt or combinations thereof. The invention refers further to a method for obtaining the same.