Developing atomic-level transition oxides may be one of the most promising ways for providing ultrahigh electrocatalytic performance for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), compared with their bulk counterparts. In this article, we developed a set of atomically thick Co3O4 layers covered on Co nanoparticles through partial reduction of Co3O4 nanoparticles using melamine as a reductive additive at an elevated temperature. Compared with the original Co3O4 nanoparticles, the synthesized Co3O4 with a thickness of 1.1 nm exhibits remarkably enhanced ORR activity and durability, which are even higher than those obtained by a commercial Pt/C in an alkaline environment. The superior activity can be attributed to the unique physical and chemical structures of the atomic-level oxide featuring the narrowed band gap and decreased work function, caused by the escaped lattice oxygen and the enriched coordination-unsaturated Co2+ in this atomic layer. Besides, the outstanding durability of the catalyst can result from the chemically epitaxial deposition of the Co3O4 on the cobalt surface. Therefore, the proposed synthetic strategy may offer a smart way to develop other atomic-level transition metals with high electrocatalytic activity and stability for energy conversion and storage devices.
Keywords: atomic-level Co3O4 layer; band gap; oxygen reduction reaction; vacancy defects; work function.