Sodium Cobalticarborane: A Promising Precatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Water splitting is a helpful way of converting renewable electricity into fuel. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a slow reaction that provides low-cost electrons for water reduction reactions. Thus, finding an efficient, low-cost, stable, and environmentally friendly OER catalyst is critical for water splitting. Here, sodium cobalticarborane (1) is introduced as a promising precatalyst for forming an OER cobalt-based catalyst. The cobalt-based catalyst was characterized by several methods and is suggested to be Co­(III) (hydr)­oxide. Using fluorine-doped tin oxide, glassy carbon, platinum, and gold electrodes, the OER activity of the cobalt-based precatalyst was investigated. The overpotential for the onset of OER in the presence of 1 is 315 mV using fluorine-doped tin oxide electrodes. The onsets of OERs in the presence of 1 using gold, platinum, and glassy carbon electrodes in KOH solutions (1.0 M) turned out to be 275, 284, and 330 mV, respectively. The nanoparticles on the gold electrodes exhibit significant OER activity with a Tafel slope of 63.8 mV/decade and an overpotential at 541 mV for 50 mA/cm2. In the case of the glassy carbon electrodes, a Tafel slope of 109.9 mV/decade and an overpotential of 548 mV for 10 mA/cm2 is recorded for the catalyst. This paper outlines an interesting approach to synthesize cobalt oxide for OER through a slow decomposition of a precatalyst.

Designing a Phenalenyl-Based Dinuclear Ni(II) Complex: An Electrocatalyst with Two Single Ni Sites for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER)

“…The route for the production of hydrogen through water electrolysis is considered as green and convenient as through the utilization of solar energy . However, the generation of oxygen through the water electrolysis is a 4e – /4H + process, which is challenged by its high theoretical overpotential (1.23 V at 25 °C vs the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)), and therefore limits the rate of production of hydrogen in water splitting devices. , The sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) requires high operating potential to gain the current densities necessary for practical applications . Therefore, the development of an efficient electrocatalyst for the OER is the present-day challenge to facilitate the overall process of water electrolysis.…”