Rational Construction of a Triple-Phase Reaction Zone Using CuO-Based Heterostructure Nanoarrays for Enhanced Water...

The development of high-efficiency oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts for the production and conversion of clean energy is paramount yet also full of challenges. Herein, we proposed a simple and universal method to precisely fabricate the hierarchically structured CuO/TMOs loaded on Cu foil (CuO/TMOs/CF) (TMO represents Mn₃O₄, NiO, CoO, and CuO) nanorod-array electrodes as a highly active and stable OER electrocatalyst, employing Cu(OH)₂/CF as a self-sacrificing template by the subsequent H₂O₂-induced chemical deposition (HiCD) and pyrolysis process. Taking CuO/Mn₃O₄/CF as an example, we systematically investigated its structure-performance relationship via experimental and theoretical explorations. The enhanced OER activity can be ascribed to the rational design of the nanoarray with multiple synergistic effects of abundant active sites, excellent electronic conductivity of the metallic Cu foil substrate, strong interface charge transfer, and quasi-superhydrophilic/superaerophobic property. Consequently, the optimal CuO/Mn₃O₄/CF presents an overpotential of 293 mV to achieve a current density of 20 mA cm^-2 in 1.0 M KOH media, comparable to that of commercial RuO₂ (282 mV), delivering excellent durability by the electrolysis of water at a potential of around 1.60 V [vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)] without evident degeneration. This work might offer a feasible scheme for developing a hybrid nanoarray OER electrocatalyst via regulating electron transportation and mass transfer.