CeO₂ promotes oxygen vacancy generation in Co(OH)₂ for enhanced water oxidation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Cobalt-based materials are promising electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reactions (OER).
• Understanding substrate dynamics is crucial for optimizing catalyst performance.
• Interface engineering plays a key role in catalytic activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effect of CeO2 decoration on Co(OH)2 and CoOOH substrates for OER.
• To elucidate the mechanism behind enhanced oxygen evolution performance.
• To investigate the role of substrate dynamics and oxygen vacancy stabilization.

Main Methods:

• Operando spectroscopic studies (e.g., X-ray absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy).
• Electrochemical measurements to assess oxygen evolution performance.
• Comparative analysis of CeO2-decorated Co(OH)2 and CoOOH.

Main Results:

• The interface derived from Co(OH)2 substrate demonstrated superior stabilization of oxygen vacancies compared to CoOOH.
• Stabilized oxygen vacancies facilitated the formation of high-valent CoO2 species.
• CeO2-decorated Co(OH)2 exhibited enhanced oxygen evolution performance.

Conclusions:

• Substrate dynamics significantly influence the catalytic activity of decorated cobalt oxides.
• Oxygen vacancy stabilization at the Co(OH)2 interface is a key factor for boosting OER.
• CeO2 decoration on Co(OH)2 offers a promising strategy for efficient oxygen evolution catalysis.