Three-dimensional open CoMoOx/CoMoSx/CoSx nanobox electrocatalysts for efficient oxygen evolution reaction

Electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) based on geometric structure and interfacial-site engineering of catalysts is an excellent strategy for the hydrogen production by water electrolysis. Herein, a novel class of three-dimensional (3D) CoMoOx/CoMoSx/CoSx (CoMoOS) nanoboxes (NBs) electrocatalysts with abundant interfaces is designed through a facile dissolution-regrowth and ion-exchange process employing ZIF-67 as the sacrificial template. Remarkably, the rich interfaces not only endow the CoMoOS with a high surface active area but also provide a highway for charge transport, thereby optimizing the binding strength of reaction intermediates on CoMoOS and drastically boosting the oxygen production. More interestingly, the unique nanobox structure also endows the catalyst with a 3D accessibility for reactants. As a result, the 3D CoMoOS NBs achieve not only an ultralow overpotential of 281 mV at 10 mA cm(-2), but also high-performance overall water electrolysis at alkaline media, with a cell potential of 1.58 V at 10 mA cm(-2).