α-Mn2O3 porous fibers synthesized by air-heated solution blow spinning (A-HSBS) technique: electrochemical assessment for oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline medium

Abstract

In this work, we report a novel synthesis route of α-Mn2O3 porous fibers obtained by air-heated solution blow spinning (A-HSBS) and their application as an electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Our α-Mn2O3 porous fibers present superior OER performance to other electrocatalysts reported in the literature, and this is due to a fibrous morphology and multiple Mn oxidate state, which lead to a small overpotential of 378 mV @ 10 mA cm-2. Furthermore, the fibrous α-Mn2O3 electrode exhibits long-term electrochemical stability confirmed by chronopotentiometry testing for 18 h at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and showing retention/preservation of microstructural properties. Our results underscore the potential of the A-HSBS for producing electrodes with a fiber-like morphology, based on transition metals. The proposed synthesis route can provide economical, durable, and efficient electrocatalysts for water splitting, which can be applied in several applications, such as electrocatalysts, biosensors, among others.