Issue 22, 2017

Hierarchical micro/nanostructured C doped Co/Co3O4 hollow spheres derived from PS@Co(OH)2 for the oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract

Hierarchical micro/nanostructured C doped Co/Co3O4 hollow spheres were prepared by two-step treatment (annealing at 600 °C in an Ar atmosphere and then at 250 °C in air) of PS@Co(OH)2 core–shell structures templated from PS microspheres without any modification. In 1 M KOH, such hollow nanospheres showed an overpotential of 352 mV at a benchmark oxygen evolution reaction (OER) current density of 10 mA cm−2, which was lower than that of RuO2 (364 mV), Co3O4 hollow nanospheres (410 mV) and C-Co/Co3O4 nanoparticles (462 mV). Importantly, the C-Co/Co3O4 hollow spheres exhibited a small onset potential (1.49 V) due to their more active sites, higher electrical conductivity, larger specific surface area, and excellent electron and ion diffusion permeability. This work provides a strategy to design and fabricate earth-abundant, low-cost electrocatalysts for water splitting in practical applications.

Graphical abstract: Hierarchical micro/nanostructured C doped Co/Co3O4 hollow spheres derived from PS@Co(OH)2 for the oxygen evolution reaction

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Mar 2017
Accepted
05 May 2017
First published
05 May 2017

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017,5, 11163-11170

Hierarchical micro/nanostructured C doped Co/Co3O4 hollow spheres derived from PS@Co(OH)2 for the oxygen evolution reaction

L. Hang, Y. Sun, D. Men, S. Liu, Q. Zhao, W. Cai and Y. Li, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017, 5, 11163 DOI: 10.1039/C7TA02539D

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