Nanostructured manganese oxide on fullerene soot for water oxidation under neutral conditions

The sluggish kinetics of oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) through water-oxidation reaction results in high overpotentials for water splitting. Among different compounds, carbon-based material/Mn oxide composites were reported as OER catalysts. Fullerene soot (FS), which contains a mixture of fullerenes and carbon blacks, is low-cost compared to fullerenes and is commercially available. Herein, the Mn oxide/fullerene soot (MnOx/FS) composite was investigated as an OER catalyst under neutral conditions. The composite was prepared through the reaction of KMnO4 and FS as a facile, easy, and low-cost pro-cedure. In this method, amorphous Mn oxide is formed directly on FS. The material was characterized by a number of methods. Then, the OER catalytic activity of MnOx/FS was studied in a LiClO4 solution (pH z 6.3). Compared to pristine FS, the OER activity of MnOx/ FS is 2.5 times higher at 2.25 V vs. RHE. The Tafel slopes for OER are 450 and 240 mV per decade for FS and the reported composite, respectively.(c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The sluggish kinetics of the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) during water oxidation leads to high overpotential for water splitting. Carbon-based material/Mn oxide composites, such as the Mn oxide/fullerene soot (MnOx/FS) composite studied in this research, have been reported as efficient OER catalysts. Compared to pristine FS, the OER activity of MnOx/FS is 2.5 times higher at 2.25 V vs. RHE.