Fe-doped Co3O4@C nanoparticles derived from layered double hydroxide used as efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction

Compared with noble metal catalyst, Co3O4-based electrocatalysts have attracted considerable interesting as low-cost alternatives for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, the poor electrocatalytic activity still remains a huge challenge. Herein, we demonstrate a feasible approach through oxidation of CoFe layered double hydroxide (CoFe-LDH) to synthesize Fe-doped Co3O4@C nanoparticles with size of about 30‒50 nm. As OER catalyst, the as-synthesized Fe-doped Co3O4@C nanoparticles exhibited superior OER performance with a small overpotential of 260 mV at the current density of 20 mA cm−2, a small Tafel slope of 70 mV dec−1 and long-term durability (there was no obviously OER current density degradation for 100 h) in alkaline solution. The present work opens a new avenue to the exploration of cost-effective and excellent electrocatalysts based on transition metal oxide materials to substitute precious metal materials for water splitting.