Effects of pre-carbonization temperature on the performance of Co-loaded silk-based hydrogen evolution catalysts

Developing efficient hydrogen evolution catalysts is one of the effective measures to solve energy issues. In recent years, research on transition metal catalysts loaded on biomass materials has neglected the influencing factors of activation. This work investigates the effect of pre-carbonization temperature on the structure and properties of Co-loaded silk-based biomass carbon materials, which is significantly affected by experimental results. Among them, Pre-400 has a high specific surface area, which is conducive to the uniform loading of transition metal catalysts. Its well-developed pore structure can also promote the mass transfer process. In the electrochemical test, the Pre-400 shows a low η₁₀ overpotential and Tafel slope of 230.6 and 80.6 mV/dec respectively. Compared to samples prepared at other pre-carbonization temperatures, Pre-400 also exhibits the smallest charge transfer resistance. This work provides insights into the impact of activation factors on the performance of carbon material catalysts, and is hoped to help other researchers interested in the biomass carbon materials. Co-loaded silk-based hydrogen evolution catalysts are prepared by activation and carbonization.The influence of the activation factor on the properties of the materials is emphasized.The morphology, structure and electrocatalytic performance of the samples are studied.When the pre-carbonization temperature comes to 400 °C, the catalyst shows the best HER performance. Co-loaded silk-based hydrogen evolution catalysts are prepared by activation and carbonization. The influence of the activation factor on the properties of the materials is emphasized. The morphology, structure and electrocatalytic performance of the samples are studied. When the pre-carbonization temperature comes to 400 °C, the catalyst shows the best HER performance.