Enhancing the oxygen evolution reaction activity of CuCo based hydroxides with V₂CT MXene

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for green hydrogen production via water electrolysis.
• Current alkaline OER catalysts (non-noble metal oxides) suffer from poor stability and conductivity.
• There is a need for advanced electrocatalytic interfaces for efficient and sustainable hydrogen generation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the OER efficiency of mixed copper cobalt hydroxide by functionalizing it with V2CT MXene.
• To develop stable and conductive electrocatalysts for alkaline water electrolysis.
• To investigate the synergistic effects of integrating V2CT MXene with copper cobalt hydroxide for improved OER performance.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a composite electrocatalyst: mixed copper cobalt hydroxide functionalized with V2CT MXene (CuCo@V2CT).
• Electrochemical characterization of the synthesized electrocatalysts to evaluate OER activity and stability.
• Materials characterization techniques (e.g., spectroscopy, microscopy) to analyze the structure and properties of the composite materials.

Main Results:

• The synthesized CuCo@V2CT electrocatalysts exhibited significantly enhanced OER activity compared to pure CuCo catalysts.
• The composite catalysts demonstrated increased efficiency after 12 hours of continuous operation, indicating improved stability.
• Integration with V2CT MXene improved hydrophilicity, charge transfer, and reduced copper leaching in the catalyst.

Conclusions:

• The strategic integration of V2CT MXene with copper cobalt hydroxide creates highly effective electrocatalytic interfaces for OER.
• CuCo@V2CT represents a promising advancement for sustainable hydrogen production through water electrolysis.
• This approach highlights the potential of transition metal oxide (TMO)-based nanomaterials combined with MXenes for energy conversion applications.