Copper doping in perovskite oxide: a novel route to high-performance oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract

The growing demand for electrocatalysts with excellent electrochemical properties and environment friendly characteristics is driving research on water-splitting to generate sustainable hydrogen energy resources. One efficient strategy to improve the performance of transition metal oxide materials for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is incorporation of additional metals. In this report, we developed copper (Cu)-doped samarium cobalt oxide (SmCoO₃) employing a sol–gel approach. The Cu-doped SmCoO₃ catalyst has demonstrated effective OER outcomes in 1.0 M KOH. The influence of the copper content on the electrocatalytic activity of SmCoO₃ has been examined thoroughly. The as-prepared sample had a low Tafel value of 40 mV dec⁻¹ and a smaller overpotential of 236 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² current density (j). Cu-doped SmCoO₃ also has a greater ECSA of 281.25 cm² than the pristine material (156.25 cm²). The prepared doped substance is very effective and durable as an electrocatalyst for energy conversion devices, as demonstrated by its lower impedance of 0.44 Ω and 30 h durability. Moreover, the structural outcomes show that incorporating Cu into SmCoO₃ greatly increases the number of active sites and improves electronic conductivity. Therefore, this study introduces an innovative approach for designing highly efficient and economical copper-doped electrocatalysts.