Electrospun Porous Perovskite La0.6Sr0.4Co1-xFexO3-δ Nanofibers for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction

A series of porous La(0.6)Sr(0.4)Co(1-x)FexO(3-delta) (x = 0- 1) nanofibers with diameters of 54-71 nm are synthesized by electrospinning using appropriate polymers and different processing parameters. When tested as a catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), an La0.6Sr0.4Co0.6Fe0.4O3-delta (LSCF6464) nanofiber catalyst (with a specific surface area of 24.2 m(2) g(-1)) exhibits a potential (vs Ag/AgCl) of 647 mV at 10 mA cm(disk)(-2), which is much smaller than that of a powder-type commercial LSCF (786 mV) and also smaller than that of the state-of-the-art IrO2 catalysts (660 mV). The LSCF6464 nanofiber catalyst further delivers an outstanding durability, with almost no observable change in potential at a current density of 10 mA cm(disk)(-2) for more than 3 h. In contrast, the performance of an IrO2 catalyst degrades continuously under the same testing conditions. The findings suggest that the LSCF nanofiber is a promising OER electrocatalyst for metal-air batteries and water electrolysis.