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Electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction of hierarchical micro/nanostructured mixed transition cobalt oxide in alkaline medium

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Abstract

In this work, different cobalt-based mixed transition metal oxides (MTMOs) were fabricated by hydrothermal process followed by calcination. Doping Co3O4 with other transition metals, such as Ni, Cu, and Mn, resulted in a fascinating morphological transformation from quasi-spherical nanoparticles to hierarchical micro/nanostructures. Hollow urchin-like NiCo2O4 exhibited a high specific surface area which led to excellent electrochemical performance towards oxygen evolution reaction (OER). It achieved a low overpotential of about 309 mV at 10 mA/cm2 current density, which is comparable to other reported electrocatalysts. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique revealed the redox processes that occur on the surface of NiCo2O4 and supported that Co4+ could be the active center during electrocatalysis. In general, the excellent electrocatalytic activity, stability, and reversibility of NiCo2O4 in alkaline condition suggest its applicability as an OER electrocatalyst.

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Funding

This work was supported by CHED-Newton Agham Institutional Links under the project entitled “Affordable Electrolyzer Technology based on Transition Metal Catalysts for Energy Storage Applications.”

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  1. Sustainable Electronic Materials Group, Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, University of the Philippines, 1101 Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

    Charles Lois I. Flores & Mary Donnabelle L. Balela

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  1. Charles Lois I. Flores
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  2. Mary Donnabelle L. Balela
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Correspondence to Mary Donnabelle L. Balela.

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Flores, C.L.I., Balela, M.D.L. Electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction of hierarchical micro/nanostructured mixed transition cobalt oxide in alkaline medium. J Solid State Electrochem 24, 891–904 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-020-04530-4

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