Edge Sites with Unsaturated Coordination on Core–Shell Mn3O4@MnxCo3− xO4 Nanostructures for Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation

Congling Hu, Lei Zhang, Zhi Jian Zhao, Jun Luo, Jing Shi, Zhiqi Huang, Jinlong Gong*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

122 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Transition-metal oxides are extensively investigated as efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, large-scale applications remain challenging due to their moderate catalytic activity. Optimized regulation of surface states can lead to improvement of catalytic properties. Here, the design of Mn@CoxMn3− xO4 nanoparticles with abundant edge sites via a simple seed-mediated growth strategy is described. The unsaturated coordination generated on the edge sites of CoxMn3− xO4 shells makes a positive contribution to the surface-structure tailoring. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the edge sites with unsaturated coordination exhibit intense affinity for OH in the alkaline electrolyte, which greatly enhances the electrochemical OER performance of the catalysts. The resulting Mn@CoxMn3− xO4 catalysts yield a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at an overpotential of 246 mV and a relatively low Tafel slope of 46 mV dec−1. The successful synthesis of these metal oxides nanoparticles with edge sites may pave a new path for rationally fabricating efficient OER catalysts.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1701820
JournalAdvanced Materials
Volume29
Issue number36
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Sept 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • cobalt–manganese spinel oxides
  • edge sites
  • oxygen evolution reaction
  • unsaturated coordination
  • water splitting

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Hu, C., Zhang, L., Zhao, Z. J., Luo, J., Shi, J., Huang, Z., & Gong, J. (2017). Edge Sites with Unsaturated Coordination on Core–Shell Mn3O4@MnxCo3− xO4 Nanostructures for Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation. Advanced Materials, 29(36), Article 1701820. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201701820