Ouyang, B., Du, Y., Nie, J., Li, Y., Zhang, Z., Liu, S., Kan, E., & Rawat, R. S. (2025). Cooling-mediated N2 plasma engineering of facet-selective iron nitride frameworks for enhanced electrocatalysis. Journal of Materials Science Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmst.2025.06.059
Abstract:
In-situ plasma processing serves as a cost-effect strategy for modulating surface structure
while simultaneously functionalizing material surface, owing to the low-contamination
environment and its capability to induce strong surface-substrate interaction. However, current
research primarily focuses on correlating plasma discharge parameters with the resultant
surface morphology and facet orientation, often overlooking the dynamic evolution of critical
parameters during plasma processing, particularly the surface thermal field. This leads to
suboptimal surface structure modulation, thereby limiting the practical applicability of plasmabased
surface engineering. Herein, we introduce a facile cooling-mediated N2-plasma
processing strategy to directly engineer iron nitride nano-framework on Fe surface, while
concurrently modulating the surface facets. Operando plasma diagnostics, combined with
numerical simulations, are employed to unravel the role of the surface-thermal field in
governing the formation of catalytically favorable facets. Given the strong dependence of
hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) behavior on surface structure, the resultant iron nitride
frameworks via cooling-mediated plasma processing (cFeNC) exhibit improved catalytic
performance compared to those fabricated through conventional thermally preserved plasma
(hFeN). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further confirm that the enhanced
catalytic behaviors of cFeNC arises from the preferential exposure of highly reactive facets.
Our strategy presents a cost-effective pathway for facet engineering of nitride surfaces,
providing a promising route towards advanced electrocatalytic materials.
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Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China - NA
Grant Reference no. : 12304020
This research / project is supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars - NA
Grant Reference no. : T2125004
This research / project is supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province - NA
Grant Reference no. : BK20230909
This research / project is supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities - NA
Grant Reference no. : 30923011013
This research / project is supported by the Funding of Nanjing University of Science and Technology - NA
Grant Reference no. : TSXK2022D002
This research / project is supported by the National Institute of Education - Academic Research Fund grant
Grant Reference no. : RI 7/22 RSR