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Vol. 10 No. 1 (2018)

Novel Co3O4 Nanoparticles/Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Composites with Extraordinary Catalytic Activity for Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-017-0170-4
Xiaobing Yang
College of Ecology and Resource Engineering, Wuyi University, Wuyishan 354300, Fujian, People’s Republic of China
Juan Chen
Department of Pharmacy, Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361004, Fujian, People’s Republic of China
Yuqing Chen
Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, People’s Republic of China
Pingjing Feng
Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, People’s Republic of China
Huixian Lai
Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, People’s Republic of China
Jintang Li
Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, People’s Republic of China
Xuetao Luo
Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Xuetao Luo

xuetao@xmu.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 10 No. 1 (2018), Article Number: 15

Abstract

Herein, Co3O4 nanoparticles/nitrogen-doped carbon (Co3O4/NPC) composites with different structures were prepared via a facile method. Structure control was achieved by the rational morphology design of ZIF-67 precursors, which were then pyrolyzed in air to obtain Co3O4/NPC composites. When applied as catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), the M-Co3O4/NPC composites derived from the flower-like ZIF-67 showed superior catalytic activities than those derived from the rhombic dodecahedron and hollow spherical ZIF-67. The former M-Co3O4/NPC composite displayed a small over-potential of 0.3 V, low onset potential of 1.41 V, small Tafel slope of 83 mV dec−1, and a desirable stability. (94.7% OER activity was retained after 10 h.) The excellent performance of the flower-like M-Co3O4/NPC composite in the OER was attributed to its favorable structure.


Highlights:


1 Co3O4 nanoparticles/nitrogen-doped carbon (Co3O4/NPC) composites were successfully fabricated from zeolitic imidazolate framework 67 (ZIF-67), and the composite structure could be well controlled by adjusting the structure of ZIF-67.
2 M-Co3O4/NPC composites derived from flower-like ZIF-67 showed the highest activities for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER).

Keywords

Co3O4 nanoparticles Nitrogen-doped carbon ZIF-67 Catalytic Oxygen evolution reaction (OER)
Yang, Xiaobing, Juan Chen, Yuqing Chen, Pingjing Feng, Huixian Lai, Jintang Li, and Xuetao Luo. 2017. “Novel Co3O4 Nanoparticles/Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Composites With Extraordinary Catalytic Activity for Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER)”. Nano-Micro Letters 10 (1):15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-017-0170-4.
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