Abstract
We report a one-pot method for the preparation of graphene-cobalt hydroxide nanosheets (Co/G NSs) and their use as an effective elelctrocatalyst for water oxidation. Mechanical exfoliation of graphite via sonication produced graphene sheets, which were stabilized by the surface adsorption of a cationic surfactant (CTAB). In a subsequent step, varying amount of a cobalt complex [sodium hexanitrocobaltate(III)] was added which selectively bound with the positively charged head of surfactant. In the last step, cobalt complex was reduced with sodium borohydride to obtain Co/G NSs catalyst. The catalyst showed lower overpotential (280 mV) as compared to benchmark catalysts and decent stability and turnover frequency (TOF: 0.089 s−1) for oxygen evolution reaction (OER).
Highlights
The present energy resources are insufficient to fulfill global energy in near future due to their rapid depletion, new technological advances to quest clean, sustainable and viable energy resource are highly demanded[1,2,3]
Electrochemical properties of graphene greatly depend upon the synthetic method and can potentially be enhanced by the incorporation of heteroatoms in the graphene lattice which modulates the spin density and charge distribution of carbon atoms thereby creating the catalytically active sites for OER32,40–42
Stable graphene dispersions with an optimum yield have been achieved with a maximum surfactant concentration of 0.1 mg/ml[70]
Summary
The present energy resources are insufficient to fulfill global energy in near future due to their rapid depletion, new technological advances to quest clean, sustainable and viable energy resource are highly demanded[1,2,3]. In the same way concentration of graphite (CG) and CTAB (CCTAB) were optimized and optimum yield of graphene was found with CG = 3 mg/mL and CCTAB = 0.1 mg/mL [see Fig. S1 in supporting information (SI)].
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