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Earthworm‐Inspired Co/Co3O4/CoF2@NSC Nanofibrous Electrocatalyst with Confined Channels for Enhanced ORR/OER Performance

journal contribution
posted on 2024-03-07, 04:03 authored by Han Li, Guilong Yan, Haoyue Zhao, Patrick HowlettPatrick Howlett, Xungai Wang, Jian Fang
AbstractThe rational construction of highly active and durable oxygen‐reactive electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction/evolution reaction (ORR/OER) plays a critical role in rechargeable metal‐air batteries. It is pivotal to achieve optimal utilization of electrocatalytically active sites and valid control of the high specific internal surface area. Inspiration for designing electrocatalysts can come from nature, as it is full of precisely manipulated and highly efficient structures. Herein, inspired by earthworms fertilizing soil, a three‐dimensional (3D) carbon nanofibrous electrocatalyst with multiple interconnected nanoconfined channels, cobalt‐based heterojunction active particles and enriched N, S heteroatoms (Co/Co3O4/CoF2@NSC with confined channels) is rationally designed, showing superior bifunctional electrocatalytic activity in alkaline electrolyte, even outperforming that of benchmark Pt/C‐RuO2 catalyst. This work demonstrates a new method for porous structural regulation, in which the internal confined channels within the nanofibers are controllably formed by the spontaneous migration of cobalt‐based nanoparticles under a CO2 atmosphere. Theoretical analysis reveals that constructing Co/Co3O4/CoF2@NSC electrocatalyst with confined channels can greatly adjust the electron distribution, effectively lower the reaction barrier of inter‐mediate and reduce the OER/ORR overpotential. This work introduces a novel and nature‐inspired strategy for designing efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts with well‐designed architectures.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

History

Journal

Advanced Materials

Pagination

1-35

Location

London, Eng.

ISSN

0935-9648

eISSN

1521-4095

Language

en

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Publisher

Wiley