Co₃O₄-Supported NiFe-Based Sulfide/Hydroxide Heterojunction for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction and Methanol...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Developing efficient electrocatalysts is crucial for clean energy technologies like water splitting.
• Advanced materials with hierarchical structures can enhance catalytic activity and stability.
• Bifunctional materials offer versatile applications in energy conversion and sensing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a novel three-dimensional (3D) composite electrode material.
• To investigate its performance for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and methanol oxidation.
• To explore its potential for early lung cancer screening.

Main Methods:

• Hydrothermal synthesis of a precursor on nickel foam (NF).
• Calcination and sulfidation treatments to form a Co3O4-supported NiFe-based sulfide/hydroxide heterojunction.
• Electrochemical characterization including OER and methanol oxidation measurements.

Main Results:

• The composite electrode exhibited excellent OER performance with a low overpotential (205 mV at 10 mA cm-2) and a Tafel slope of 29.3 mV dec-1.
• Demonstrated outstanding structural stability, retaining 93.2% of its initial current density after 60 hours of testing.
• Showcased high sensitivity and selectivity for methanol oxidation with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1581 μM.

Conclusions:

• The 3D composite electrode material possesses bifunctional properties suitable for OER and methanol oxidation.
• The synergistic effects within the heterojunction structure enhance catalytic activity and stability.
• The material shows promise for applications in clean energy conversion and biosensing, including early lung cancer screening.