Pressure-Driven Fabrication of Zn-Doped Co3C@Carbon Nano-Onions for Robust Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Despite being an essential half-reaction for splitting water, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is rarely used in the industry because it is slow and requires expensive catalysts. Here, in the present study, the nanosheet of Co3C and carbon nano-onions (CNOs) have been prepared using an annealing process under high pressure, and Zn-doped Co3C was additionally prepared to investigate the impact of doping on Co3C nanosheet as an OER electrocatalyst. The synthesized electrocatalyst is portrayed by Xray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The standing nanoflakes are shaped on the nanosheets of Co3C in the wake of the doping effect. The mesoporous nanoflakes Zn-Co3C@CNO have shown striking OER activity requiring 1.45 V vs RHE as the beginning potential for the OER and required a 276 mV overpotential (eta) at 10 mA cm(-2). Indeed, even the higher current densities of 50 and 78 mA cm(-2) were achieved individually at lower. of 301 and 345 mV, respectively. The prepared electrocatalyst has shown unusual activity fit for continuous oxygen gas evolution for more than 50 h. Such excellent OER performance can be credited to doping Zn particles into the lattice structure of Co3C, along with nanoflakes like standing construction are shaped on the nanosheet of Co3C and microporosity of arranged terminals are considered as efficient for higher OER activity.

Automated summary

In this study, nanosheets of Co3C and carbon nano-onions (CNOs) were prepared using an annealing process under high pressure, and Zn-doped Co3C was additionally prepared to investigate its impact as an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst. The synthesized Zn-Co3C@CNO electrocatalyst showed remarkable OER activity, with a starting potential of 1.45 V vs RHE and an overpotential of 276 mV at 10 mA cm(-2). It exhibited excellent stability for continuous oxygen gas evolution for more than 50 hours. The enhanced OER performance can be attributed to the doping of Zn particles into the lattice structure of Co3C and the formation of standing nanoflakes on the nanosheet surface, along with the efficient microporosity of the arranged terminals.