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.