PO6 geometric configuration unit enhanced electrocatalytic performance of Co3O4 in acidic oxygen evolution

Fanfan Shang; Huijie He; Peng Li; Hairui Cai; Bei An; Xiaoqian Li; Shengchun Yang; Zhanbo Sun; Bin Wang

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.03.036

PO₆ geometric configuration unit enhanced electrocatalytic performance of Co₃O₄ in acidic oxygen evolution

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Jul:641:329-337. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.03.036. Epub 2023 Mar 13.

Authors

Fanfan Shang¹, Huijie He¹, Peng Li¹, Hairui Cai¹, Bei An¹, Xiaoqian Li¹, Shengchun Yang², Zhanbo Sun¹, Bin Wang³

Affiliations

¹ MOE Key Laboratory for Non-equilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Advanced Materials and Mesoscopic Physics, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 28 West Xianning Road, Xi'an 710049, China.
² MOE Key Laboratory for Non-equilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Advanced Materials and Mesoscopic Physics, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 28 West Xianning Road, Xi'an 710049, China; National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 28 West Xianning Road, Xi'an 710049, China; Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Hydrogen Fuel Cell PerformanceImprovement, Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 28 West Xianning Road, Xi'an 710049, China. Electronic address: ysch1209@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
³ MOE Key Laboratory for Non-equilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Advanced Materials and Mesoscopic Physics, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 28 West Xianning Road, Xi'an 710049, China; National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 28 West Xianning Road, Xi'an 710049, China; Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Hydrogen Fuel Cell PerformanceImprovement, Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 28 West Xianning Road, Xi'an 710049, China. Electronic address: bin_wang@xjtu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36934580
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.03.036

Abstract

It is challenging to develop high-efficient and stable nonprecious metal-based electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acid for proton exchange membrane (PEM) water splitting. Herein, P atoms were introduced into the lattice of spinel Co₃O₄ (P-Co₃O₄) to replace with octahedral coordinated Co³⁺ via a hydrothermal process following a thermal treatment. The formation of PO₆ geometric configuration unit in Co₃O₄ can trigger electron rearrangement around Co ions, which resulted in the high-active Co²⁺ site on the surface, significantly decreasing the energy barrier of rate-determining step for OER. Moreover, the weaker covalency of the Co 3d-O 2p bond and higher formation energy of oxygen vacancy around Co²⁺ in P-Co₃O₄ inhibited the participation of lattice oxygen during OER process, enabling that P-Co₃O₄ can work stably in acidic media. The obtained P-Co₃O₄ afforded satisfying stability over 30 h in a PEM electrolysis device with an overpotential of 400 mV@10 mA/cm² in 0.1 M HClO₄.

Keywords: Co(3)O(4); Non-precious electrocatalyst; Oxygen evolution reaction in acid; PO(6) geometric configuration unit.