Multicomponent Interface and Electronic Structure Engineering in Ir-Doped CoMO₄-Co(OH)₂ (M = W and Mo) Enable...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Designing high-performance catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) requires integrating multicomponent interfaces and electronic structure engineering.
• Combining these critical aspects in a single catalyst presents a significant challenge in materials design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel hybrid Ir-doped CoMO4-Co(OH)2 hollow nanoboxes for efficient water oxidation electrocatalysis.
• To investigate the synergistic effects of CoMO4 and Co(OH)2 interactions and Ir doping on OER performance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of ultrathin nanosheet-assembled hollow nanoboxes with hybrid Ir-doped CoMO4-Co(OH)2 structures (M = W, Mo).
• Electrochemical characterization to evaluate catalytic activity, including overpotential measurements for the oxygen evolution reaction.
• Testing the catalyst in a two-electrode system for overall water splitting.

Main Results:

• The hybrid nanoboxes exhibit enhanced charge transfer and mass transport due to abundant active centers.
• Synergistic electronic effects between CoMO4 and Co(OH)2, coupled with strategic Ir doping, significantly improve OER electrocatalysis.
• Ir-CoWO4-Co(OH)2 and Ir-CoMoO4-Co(OH)2 achieved low overpotentials of 252 and 261 mV at 10 mA cm-2, respectively.
• A two-electrode system using the catalyst for overall water splitting required only 1.53 V to reach 10 mA cm-2.

Conclusions:

• The developed Ir-doped CoMO4-Co(OH)2 hollow nanoboxes represent a promising strategy for high-performance electrocatalysts.
• This approach effectively addresses the challenge of combining interface and electronic structure engineering for enhanced OER.
• The catalysts demonstrate significant potential for efficient and low-voltage water splitting applications.