Green chemistry synthesis of Co3O4-CoO nanocomposite and electrochemical assessment for oxygen evolution reaction

In this work, we have successfully synthesized Co3O4-CoO nanocomposite nanoparticles through a two-step green chemistry synthesis method. Subsequently, we have performed characterizations through X-ray diffrac-tion (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), Raman, Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopies and evaluated the electrochemical performance as an electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The results reveal excellent activity for OER, with an overpotential of 337 mV vs. RHE at 10 mA cm(-2) and Tafel slope of 65 mV dec(-1), indicating that the Co3O4-CoO nanocomposite produced by our novel route provides competitive performance.

Automated summary

We have synthesized Co3O4-CoO nanocomposite nanoparticles through a two-step green chemistry synthesis method. The synthesized nanocomposite was characterized using various spectroscopic techniques and showed excellent electrochemical activity for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), with an overpotential of 337 mV vs. RHE at 10 mA cm(-2) and Tafel slope of 65 mV dec(-1). This novel route provides a competitive performance for Co3O4-CoO nanocomposite as an electrocatalyst for OER.