Reduced graphene oxide-based silver selenide nanocomposite synthesized through hydrothermal method for oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract

Intensive research is being conducted on electrochemical water splitting to deal with environmental issues and energy concerns. The renewable and environment-friendly energy sectors want to develop inexpensive electrocatalysts with prolonged stability and high electrocatalytic activity and accelerate oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The current study reports the fabrication of Ag2Se nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to create Ag2Se/rGO nanocomposite through hydrothermal method at 165 ℃. Raman analysis validated the good integration of rGO and Ag2Se, revealing distinctive peaks for both materials. The produced nanocomposite has a Tafel plot (34 mV/dec) and overpotential (η) 192 mV at ideal current density (j) 10 mA/cm2. Chronoamperometric study and cyclic durability of the nanocomposite demonstrate stability over 60 hours. The electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) showed that the Rct (charge transfer resistance) of Ag2Se/rGO was 0.2 Ω. The electrochemical finding indicates that the incorporation of rGO into Ag2Se provides a large surface area and greater active regions which facilitates the faster adsorption of electrolyte ions and reduced the resistance. The current research reveals a novel methodology to produce highly active rGO-based electrocatalysts that enhance long-term OER performance and open new avenues for their extensive application in the energy sectors.