Enhanced Oxygen Evolution via Electrochemical Water Oxidation using Conducting Polymer and Nanoparticle Composites

Abstract

Nano-Co 3 O 4 was used for electrocatalytic water oxidation due to its promising features of better performance and low cost. An enhanced electrochemical water oxidation performance of the nanoparticles can be achieved by mixing them with other types of highly conductive nano/microstructured materials. Conductive polymers would be one of the candidates to achieve this goal. Here, we report our recently developed nano-Co 3 O 4 and polypyrrole composites for enhanced electrochemical water oxidation. We chose polypyrrole as a support of nano-Co 3 O 4 to obtain highly active sites of nano-Co 3 O 4 with high conductivity. Morphological and chemical characterization of the prepared materials were performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). After immobilizing them individually on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate, their electrocatalytic properties toward water oxidation were investigated. The optimum composite materials showed significantly higher electrocatalytic properties compared to that of pure nano-Co 3 O 4 and polypyrrole. Electrochemical impedance studies indicated that the composite materials possess significantly less electron transfer resistance toward water oxidation reaction compared to that of only polypyrrole or nano-Co 3 O 4 , while the higher double-layer capacitance and polarization resistance values obtained from fitting of the impedance data represent the faster electrode kinetics in the composite electrocatalyst. Due to the synergetic effect, the optimum nano-Co 3 O 4 and polypyrrole composites could be represent a novel and promising material for water oxidation.

Preparation of Sulfur‐doped Carbon for Supercapacitor Applications: A Review

“…Conductivity and charge transport properties in the EEI can be evaluated using the EIS technique. [12,63,64] Analogous resistor capacitor (RC) circuits and/ or physical intuition have traditionally been used to interpret Nyquist plots. However, the interpretations that follow are not unique and frequently inconsistent in the literature.…”

“…A Nyquist plot depicting imaginary versus real portions of the complex impedance of an electrochemical cell is used to demonstrate EIS analysis. Conductivity and charge transport properties in the EEI can be evaluated using the EIS technique [12,63,64] . Analogous resistor capacitor (RC) circuits and/or physical intuition have traditionally been used to interpret Nyquist plots.…”

Bismuth-Graphene Nanohybrids: Synthesis, Reaction Mechanisms, and Photocatalytic Applications—A Review

“…Hydrogen energy is considered as an ideal green energy source, and the product of hydrogen combustion is H 2 O, so hydrogen, when used as fuel, it both solves the future fossil fuel crisis and shortage and lessens the environmental pollution from fossil fuel consumption [150,210,[213][214][215]. In 1972, Fujishima et al first described the TiO 2 photoelectrode water splitting phenomenon [216], and as a result, photocatalytic H 2 production has gained much attention [217][218][219][220].…”

Carbon Nanofiber and Poly[2‐(methacryloyloxy) ethyl] Trimethylammonium Chloride Composite as a New Benchmark Carbon‐based Electrocatalyst for Sulfide Oxidation

“…Before immobilization, the polymer/surfactant helps to disperse the pre‐synthesized modifiers; dispersing the nano/micro‐sized modifiers is essential to immobilizing them on a bare electrode surface. On the other hand, polymers are among the most extensively used materials in the preparation of electrodes for electrochemical applications [2,20,35–37] . The reasons are the extraordinary diversity of functional groups they can contain and subsequent electrochemical properties, along with their comparatively easy processing, low cost, and sustainability [20,38,39] …”

“…Polymeric composites based on carbon materials have drawn a great deal of attention owing to their unique structural and functional properties, which are superior to those of their pure counterparts, and their enhanced performance in a broad range of technological sensors [2,17,20,25,37,40] . The surface charge has a significant role in the electrooxidation of sulfide; however, although it is simple to produce negative charges on the carbon surface by acid treatment, [41] it is challenging to incorporate positive charges.…”