This work demonstrates the synthesis of a switchable single-molecule electrochromic device generated by tethering a viologen onto a poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) via an alkyl linker.
With
the rising energy crisis and increasingly serious environmental
issues, clean energy sources like fuel cell and lithium–air
batteries are attracting the attention of the whole world. The direct
fuel cell, especially, is believed to be the quintessential replacement
for conventional sources of energy because of its high energy conversion
capacity. Electrochemical water splitting has an important role in
such sustainable energy technologies. Catalysts play a worthwhile
role in water splitting, especially the oxygen evolution reaction
(OER). Engineering fine micro/nanostructures with subtle morphologies
represents an effective strategy to enhance the activity of the resultant
catalyst toward OER through exposing abundant electrochemically active
sites. So, here we report a Co3O4@SUS catalyst,
the well-defined Co3O4 microrods were successfully
anchored onto the stainless steel mesh substrate with the assistance
of diethylenetriamine using microwave irradiation, utilizing
a commercially available microwave instrument. Co3O4@SUS possesses outstanding catalytic activity toward water
oxidation. In water oxidation, the current density of 10 mA cm–2 was achieved at 298 mV overpotential with a low Tafel
slope of 105 mV dec–1. In addition to low overpotential,
Co3O4@SUS was stable under conditions of continuous
O2 evolution for an extended period (24 h). The results
show a highly efficient, scalable, and low-cost method for developing
highly active and stable OER electrocatalysts in alkaline solution.
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