Morphologically controlled cobalt oxide nanoparticles for efficient oxygen evolution reaction

Electrochemical water oxidation is one of the thrust areas of research today in solving energy and environmental issues. The morphological control in the synthesis of nanomaterials plays a crucial role in designing efficient electrocatalyst. In general, various synthetic parameters can direct the morphology of nanomaterials and often this is the main driving force for the electrocatalyst in tuning the rate of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) for the electrochemical water-splitting. Here, a facile and costeffective synthesis of spinel cobalt oxides (Co3O4) via a one-pot hydrothermal pathway with tunable morphology has been demonstrated. Different kinds of morphologies have been obtained by systematically varying the reaction time i.e. nanospheres, hexagon and nanocubes. Their catalytic activity has been explored towards OER in 1.0 M alkaline KOH solution. The catalyst Co3O4-24 h nanoparticles synthesized in 24 h reaction time shows the lowest overpotential (eta) value of 296 mV at 10 mA cm(-2) current density, in comparison to that of other as-prepared catalysts i.e. Co3O4-pH9 (311 mV), Co3O4-12 h (337 mV), and Co3O4-6 h (342 mV) with reference to commercially available IrO2 (415 mV). Moreover, Co3O4-24 h sam-ple shows the outstanding electrochemical stability up to 25 h time. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Electrochemical water oxidation, a crucial area of research for solving energy and environmental issues today, relies heavily on the morphological control in the synthesis of nanomaterials to design efficient electrocatalysts. In this study, spinel cobalt oxides with tunable morphology were successfully synthesized via a facile and cost-effective one-pot hydrothermal method. The Co3O4-24 h nanoparticles exhibited superior catalytic activity towards the oxygen evolution reaction in 1.0 M alkaline KOH solution, with the lowest overpotential value compared to other catalysts tested.