Abstract
Transition-metal chalcogenides with hollow nanostructure, especially cobalt sulfides, are considered as the most promising non-precious metal catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction. However, it is difficult to synthesize oxygen-containing cobalt sulphides with hollow structure due to the different physical/chemical properties between metal sulfides and metal cobalts. Herein, we report a novel oxygen-containing amorphous cobalt sulfide ball-in-ball hollow spheres (Co-S-O BBHS) synthesized by an anion exchange method. Taking advantage of the ball-in-ball hollow structure, the amorphous Co-S-O BBHS shows superior oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalytic performance with a low overpotential of 285 mV at 10 mA/cm2, small Tafel slope of 49.67 mV/dec, high Faraday efficiency of 96%, and satisfied durability. Experiments and DFT calculations demonstrate that the introduction of oxygen and sulfur modulates the electronic structure of Co-S-O BBHS, thus enhancing the adsorption of *O (adsorbed O species on catalyst surface) intermediate, which greatly boosts the catalytic activity towards OER. This work provides a new strategy for controllable synthesis of complex hollow structures of transition-metal chalcogenides for OER.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.