IrCo nanocacti on Co(x)S(y)nanocages as a highly efficient and robust electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction in acidic media

Abstract

Developing highly efficient Ir-based electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has been an important agenda in spearheading the water splitting technology. In this study, the synthesis of IrCo nanocacti on Co(x)S(y)nanocages (ICS NCs) is demonstrated by utilizing CoO@Co(x)S(y)nanoparticles as reactive nanotemplates. In addition to the high catalytic activities with a low overpotential of 281 mV at 10 mA cm(-2)and an outstanding mass activity of 1285 mA mg(Ir)(-1)at 1.53 V, the ICS NCs endure a prolonged OER test for over 100 h, greatly outperforming other previously reported Ir-based electrocatalysts. This work suggests that the unique hetero-nanostructure of IrCo/Co(x)S(y)inducesin situS doping during electrochemical oxidation and the beneficial effect of S doping on the enhanced stability of ICS NCs for the OER.