Facile synthesis of ZnCo-ZIFs-derived ZnxCo3-xO4 hollow polyhedron for efficient oxygen evolution reduction

The construction of highly active and stable non-noble metal electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a crucial requirement for green energy utilization. Herein, we report a novel hybrid nanostructure of Zn/Co bimetallic oxide (ZnxCo3-xO4) hollow polyhedron through a pyrolysis-oxidation strategy derived from bimetallic Zn, Co-zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZnCo-ZIFs) rhombic polyhedral. Benefiting from the synergistic effects between highly active metal oxide and the unique polyhedron structure, the ZnxCo3-xO4 hollow polyhedron hybrid displayed outstanding electrocatalytic performances in alkaline media. When the ZnxCo3-xO4 polyhedron was employed as electrocatalysts for OER, a potential as low as 1.66 V (vs. RHE) was required to deliver the current density of 10 mA cm(-2) in 1 M KOH, and ZnxCo3-xO4 still presented superior activity after continuously working for cyclic voltammetric scanning of 1000 cycles. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.