Cobalt-based co-ordination complex-derived nanostructure for efficient oxygen evolution reaction in acidic and...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Conversion

Background:

• Electrochemical water splitting is crucial for energy storage and conversion.
• Developing cost-effective and robust electrocatalysts is essential for efficient water splitting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel cobalt-based electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER).
• To evaluate the catalytic performance of the synthesized materials in both alkaline and acidic media.

Main Methods:

• Cobalt-dehydroacetic acid (Co-DHA) was thermally treated to synthesize cobalt nanostructures.
• Materials characterization included powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis, and field emission scanning electron microscopy.
• Electrochemical OER performance was assessed by measuring overpotentials in 1 M KOH and 0.5 M H2SO4 solutions.

Main Results:

• The K-500 material (Co3O4@500) exhibited lower overpotentials for OER compared to K-300 (Co3O4@300) in both 1 M KOH (170 mV vs. RHE for K-500 vs. 294 mV for K-300) and 0.5 M H2SO4 (199 mV vs. RHE for K-500 vs. 234 mV for K-300) at 10 mA/cm2.
• Characterization confirmed the formation of Co nanostructures and Co-DHA crystals.

Conclusions:

• The thermally treated cobalt-dehydroacetic acid, particularly the K-500 sample, demonstrates significantly improved catalytic efficiency for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction.
• This cobalt-based electrocatalyst presents a promising low-cost alternative for efficient electrochemical water splitting applications.