Premium
Plasma‐Engraved Co 3 O 4 Nanosheets with Oxygen Vacancies and High Surface Area for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Author(s) -
Xu Lei,
Jiang Qianqian,
Xiao Zhaohui,
Li Xingyue,
Huo Jia,
Wang Shuangyin,
Dai Liming
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201600687
Subject(s) - electrocatalyst , engraving , oxygen , oxygen evolution , catalysis , chemistry , chemical engineering , materials science , electrochemistry , electrode , organic chemistry , composite material , engineering
Abstract Co 3 O 4 , which is of mixed valences Co 2+ and Co 3+ , has been extensively investigated as an efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The proper control of Co 2+ /Co 3+ ratio in Co 3 O 4 could lead to modifications on its electronic and thus catalytic properties. Herein, we designed an efficient Co 3 O 4 ‐based OER electrocatalyst by a plasma‐engraving strategy, which not only produced higher surface area, but also generated oxygen vacancies on Co 3 O 4 surface with more Co 2+ formed. The increased surface area ensures the Co 3 O 4 has more sites for OER, and generated oxygen vacancies on Co 3 O 4 surface improve the electronic conductivity and create more active defects for OER. Compared to pristine Co 3 O 4 , the engraved Co 3 O 4 exhibits a much higher current density and a lower onset potential. The specific activity of the plasma‐engraved Co 3 O 4 nanosheets (0.055 mA cm −2 BET at 1.6 V) is 10 times higher than that of pristine Co 3 O 4 , which is contributed by the surface oxygen vacancies.