Premium
Bifunctional Oxygen Reduction/Oxygen Evolution Activity of Mixed Fe/Co Oxide Nanoparticles with Variable Fe/Co Ratios Supported on Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes
Author(s) -
Elumeeva Karina,
Kazakova Mariya A.,
Morales Dulce Maria,
Medina Danea,
Selyutin Alexander,
Golubtsov Georgiy,
Ivanov Yurii,
Kuznetzov Vladimir,
Chuvilin Andrey,
Antoni Hendrik,
Muhler Martin,
Schuhmann Wolfgang,
Masa Justus
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201702381
Subject(s) - bifunctional , oxygen evolution , catalysis , nanoparticle , bifunctional catalyst , oxide , oxygen , chemical engineering , chemistry , carbon fibers , inorganic chemistry , materials science , nanotechnology , electrochemistry , electrode , organic chemistry , composite material , composite number , engineering
A facile strategy is reported for the synthesis of Fe/Co mixed metal oxide nanoparticles supported on, and embedded inside, high purity oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) of narrow diameter distribution as effective bifunctional catalysts able to reversibly drive the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solutions. Variation of the Fe/Co ratio resulted in a pronounced trend in the bifunctional ORR/OER activity. Controlled synthesis and in‐depth characterization enabled the identification of an optimal Fe/Co composition, which afforded a low OER/OER reversible overvoltage of only 0.831 V, taking the OER at 10 mA cm −2 and the ORR at −1 mA cm −2 . Importantly, the optimal catalyst with a Fe/Co ratio of 2:3 exhibited very promising long‐term stability with no evident change in the potential for both the ORR and the OER after 400 charge/discharge (OER/ORR) cycles at 15 mA cm −2 in 6 m KOH. Moreover, detailed investigation of the structure, size, and phase composition of the mixed Fe/Co oxide nanoparticles, as well as their localization (inside of or on the surface of the MWCNTs) revealed insight of the possible contribution of the individual catalyst components and their synergistic interaction in the catalysis.