Engineering the Surface Structure of Binary/Ternary Ferrite Nanoparticles as High‐Performance Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction. Issue 5 (6th February 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sahoo, Pathik; Tan, Jing‐Bo; Zhang, Zhi‐Ming; Singh, Shiva Kumar; Lu, Tong‐Bu
• Is Part Of: ChemCatChem. Volume 10:Issue 5(2018)
• Page Start: 1075
• Page End: 1083
• Publication Date: 2018-02-06
• Subjects: carbon nanotubes -- electrocatalysts -- oxygen evolution reaction -- oxygen vacancy -- spinels; Catalysis -- Periodicals; 541.39505
• DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201701790
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1867-3880

Abstract

Abstract: Cost‐effective production of efficient and robust oxygen evolution electrocatalysts is of primary importance in developing renewable energy technologies. Herein, we develop a simple and efficient method for exploring high‐performance oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts by engineering the surface structure of ferrite nanoparticles on carbon nanotube support through a reduction‐engraved strategy. After the reduction treatment, abundant oxygen vacancies localized on the surface of the ultrafine ferrite nanoparticles favorably affect their electronic structure, assuring a rapid charge transfer, and expose more active sites. In 1.0 m KOH solution, the reduced composites exhibit superior OER electrocatalytic activity to IrO2, affording a current density of 10 mA cm −2 at overpotentials of merely 214 mV for Co0.5 Ni0.5 Fe2 O4 @o‐MWCNT (r‐CNFc ), 221 mV for CoFe2 O4 @o‐MWCNT (r‐CFc ), and 216 mV for NiFe2 O4 @o‐MWCNT (r‐NFc ). It is worth mentioning thatr‐CNFc could afford a current density of 100 mA cm −2 at an overpotential of 256 mV, which is approximately ten times higher than that ofCNFc at the same overpotential (10.6 mA cm −2 ). These catalysts also exhibit long‐term stability evaluated by controlled‐current electrolysis at least for 120 h. These results demonstrate an efficient method for constructing high‐performance and durable OER electrocatalysts by reducing mixed metal spinel oxides on the conductive support. Abstract : Surface engineered : The electrochemical heterogeneous oxygen evolution reaction was performed by a series of reduced composites made of spinel‐coated oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (o‐MWCNTs). The NaBH4 reduction made the spinels and o‐MWCNT more efficient individually and the synergic effect made it as prominent with an overpotential of only 214 mV at 10 mA cm −2 .