Constructing Chainmail-Structured CoP/C Nanospheres as Highly Active Anodic Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Constructing highly active and noble metal-free electrocatalysts is significant for the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, uniform carbon-coated CoP nanospheres (CoP/C) are developed by a direct impregnation coupling phosphorization approach. Importantly, CoP/C only takes a small overpotential of 230 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm–2 and displays a Tafel slope of 56.87 mV dec–1. Furthermore, the intrinsic activity of CoP/C is 21.44 times better than that of commercial RuO2 under an overpotential of 260 mV. In situ Raman spectroscopy studies revealed that a large number of generated Co–O and Co–OH species could facilitate the *OH adsorption, effectively accelerating the reaction kinetics. Meanwhile, the carbon shell with a large number of mesoporous pores acts as the chainmail of CoP, which could improve the active surface area of the catalyst and prevent the Co sites from oxidative dissolution. This work provides a facile and effective reference for the development of highly active and stable OER catalysts.

Carbon-Based Composites for Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts: Design, Fabrication, and Application

“…As previously mentioned, TMPs deliver superior OER activity. Great efforts have been made to develop not only TMP/carbon but also TMPs@carbon [118,119] electrocatalysts, creating a viable alternative to IrO 2 /RuO 2 -based electrocatalysts. Structural regulation is essential for realizing efficient and stable OER catalysis.…”

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Coupled with In Situ Raman Spectroscopy for the Detection of the OER Mechanism: A Mini-Review

“…By coupling SERS with electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry, the spectroscopic signatures and electrochemical behavior can be corelated. Thus, by providing invaluable insights into the structure–activity relationships of catalytic processes in the OER mechanism. − However, it is worth mentioning that while in situ Raman spectroscopy is an effective tool for investigating the reaction mechanism, in cases where the Raman signal intensity is weak, the use of in situ SERS can be highly advantageous.…”