Flame Synthesis of Fe-Doped Co3O4/CNT/NF for Highly Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction

The development of efficient, long-lasting, low-cost, and environment friendly electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reactions (OER) is imminent in many energy storage and conversion devices. Here, a unique electrocatalyst of Fe-doped Co3O4 particles loaded on carbon nanotubes (Fe-doped Co3O4/CNT/NF) was synthesized by a one-step flame method. This method significantly reduces the reaction time (the whole flame process just maintain 10 s). The doping of iron significantly enhances the activity of the OER, as demonstrated by a reduced overpotential of 232 mV to achieve 10 mA cm−2, a tiny Tafel slope (34.1 mV dec−1), and long-lasting durability in an alkaline electrolyte. This work provides a potential possibility for large-scale industrial production. The carbon nanotubes attached with Fe-doped and Co3O4 nanoparticles were generated in situ by a simple and reliable one-step flame method. Fe-doped and Co3O4 nanoparticles were immobilized on the surface of the carbon nanotubes, resulting in Co being able to expose more active edges. As a result, the newly designed Fe-doped Co3O4/CNT/NF exhibits lower overpotential and Tafel slope. The low cost of the basic materials in this design and the easy and fast preparation method ensure that it can be produced on a large scale.