Iron doped cobalt sulfide derived boosted electrocatalyst for water oxidation

Earth-abundant transition metal sulfide eletrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with compelling catalytic performance hold a key to clean and renewable energy conversion. Herein, we report a one-step solvothermal method to synthesize iron-doped cobalt sulfide (CoFeS) nanoplates. A highly efficient OER catalytic performance with a low overpotential of 290 mV, small Tafel slope of 52.6 mV dec (1) and long-term operational stability is achieved from the CoFeS nanostructures with an optimized Fe/Co ratio. The enhanced catalytic activity is attributed to the high electric conductivity of CoFeS that accelerating charge transfer during the reaction, and Fe doping that changing the local Co-S environments toward a moderate absorption energy to the reaction intermediates. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.