Ce-Doped Ordered Mesoporous Cobalt Ferrite Phosphides as Robust Catalysts for Water Oxidation.

ABSTRACT

Controllable synthesis and rational design of ordered nanostructures are crucial for their renewable energy applications. In this work, a mesoporous CoP/Fe2 P doped with 5 % Ce by a simple nanocasting method is designed as a superior electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The well-designed composite delivers an efficient electrocatalytic activity with a low overpotential of 250 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and excellent long-term stability with no degradation after 10 h of electrochemical OER test, superior to that of the state-of-the-art RuO2 electrocatalyst in alkaline electrolyte. A comprehensive analysis demonstrates that the outstanding OER performance is due to the desirable combination of the highly exposed active centers in the Ce-doped bimetallic phosphides, efficient mass transfer, and effective electron conduction owing to the hierarchically mesoporous hybridization. Furthermore, the synergistic effect between Ce and CoP/Fe2 P accelerates the migration rate of electrons/ions and increases the electrochemical active area. This excellent OER performance observed by Ce doping of CoP/Fe2 P makes them possible candidates toward OER in alkaline electrolytes.