Oxygen-deficient 3D-ordered multistage porous interfacial catalysts with enhanced water oxidation performance

Abstract

Constructing ordered multistage pore structures and controllable defects is accepted as an effective strategy to optimize the activity and stability of catalysts, but it is still restricted by synthesis technology. Herein, an advanced highly-quality 3D-ordered macro-/mesoporous Co₃O₄/CeO₂ heterostructure catalyst (3DOM-Co₃O₄/CeO₂) was developed by combining two kinds of metal oxides with special intrinsic characteristics via a simple strategy. The as-prepared 3DOM-Co₃O₄/CeO₂ shows ordered multistage interconnected mesoporous channels, which provide a sizable electrochemical active area and enrich the oxygen vacancy (OV) concentration at the Co₃O₄ and CeO₂ interface. As expected, 3DOM-Co₃O₄/CeO₂ with the optimal ratio of Co/Ce (3DOM-CC-10) exhibits a satisfactory catalytic activity and remarkable cycling performance when evaluated as an anode material for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The superior OER performance of 3DOM-CC-10 can be attributed to its structure with many OVs, the synergy effect between the two kinds of metal oxides and the 3D-ordered multistage porous conductive networks.