Constructing three-dimensional (3D)
hierarchical heterostructures
is an appealing but challenging strategy to improve the performance
of catalysts for electrical energy devices. Here, an efficient and
robust flexible self-supporting catalyst, interface coupling of ultrathin
CoFe-LDH nanosheets and Co3O4 nanowire arrays
on the carbon cloth (CC/Co3O4@CoFe-LDH), was
proposed for boosting oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in rechargeable
liquid/solid Zn–air batteries (ZABs). The strong interfacial
interaction between the CoFe-LDH and Co3O4 heterostructures
stimulated the charge redistribution in their coupling regions, which
improved the electron conductivity and optimized the adsorption free
energy of OER intermediates, ultimately boosting the intrinsic OER
performance. Besides, the 3D hierarchical nanoarray structure facilitated
the exposure of catalytically active centers and rapid electron/mass
transfer during the OER process. As such, the CC/Co3O4@CoFe-LDH catalyst achieved excellent OER catalytic activity
in alkaline medium, with a small overpotential of 237 mV at 10 mA
cm–2, a low Tafel slope of 35.43 mV dec–1, and long-term durability of up to 48 h, significantly outperforming
the commercial RuO2 catalyst. More impressively, the liquid
and flexible solid-state ZABs assembled by the CC/Co3O4@CoFe-LDH hybrid catalyst as the OER catalyst presented a
stable open circuit voltage, large power density, superb cycling life,
and satisfactory flexibility, indicating great potential applications
in energy technology. This work provides a good guidance for the development
of advanced electrocatalysts with heterostructures and an in-depth
understanding of electronic modulation at the heterogeneous interface.
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