Research status, opportunities, and challenges of cobalt phosphate based materials as OER electrocatalysts

Abstract

Although water splitting is currently the most promising technology for preparing green hydrogen on a large scale, high energy consumption has limited its industrial application. The sluggishness of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode hinders the electrolysis efficiency of water splitting. Thus, the preparation of a high-performance OER catalyst is the key to the electrolysis process. Cobalt phosphate (CoPi) based material has attracted great attention due to its low cost, abundance, good stability, high catalytic activity, and redox properties. This review aims to provide an overview of recent advances in CoPi, including structural composition, synthesis methods, and OER enhancement. The response mechanisms are summarized and elucidated to understand the OER behavior of CoPi. In addition, the challenges and prospects for CoPi are proposed.