Construction of porous core-shell MnCo₂S₄ microrugby balls for efficient oxygen evolution reaction

It is critical to rationally design highly efficient, stable, and cost-effective electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, the porous core-shell MnCo₂S₄ microrugby balls are successfully synthesized via a two-step solvothermal method. Benefiting from the desired porous structure, strong electronic interaction and large specific surface area, it shows a small overpotential of 317 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², a low Tafel slope of 73.7 mV dec⁻¹ and robust stability, which is better than that of the corresponding metal oxides and commercial IrO₂. The significantly enhanced OER performance of MnCo₂S₄ microrugby balls can be attributed to their high electrochemical active surface area and electrical conductivity. This work provides a new perspective to design and synthesize core-shell structured electrocatalysts.