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Ultrathin Cobalt–Manganese Nanosheets: An Efficient Platform for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation with Electron‐Donating Effect

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: An ultrathin cobalt–manganese (Co‐Mn) nanosheet, consisting of amorphous Co(OH)x layers and ultrasmall Mn3O4 nanocrystals, is designed as an efficient co‐catalyst on an α‐Fe2O3 film for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation. The uniformly distributed Co‐Mn nanosheets lead to a remarkable 2.6‐fold enhancement on the photocurrent density at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and an impressive cathodic shift (≈200 mV) of onset potential compared with bare α‐Fe2O3 film. Furthermore, the decorated photoanode exhibits a prominent resistance against photocorrosion with excellent stability for over 10 h. Detailed mechanism investigation manifests that incorporation of Mn sites in the nanosheets could create electron donation to Co sites and facilitate the activation of the OH group, which drastically increases the catalytic activities for water oxidation. These findings provide valuable guidance for designing high‐performance co‐catalysts for PEC applications and open new avenues toward controlled fabrication of mixed metallic composites.

Source: Advanced Functional Materials

DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201904622

Authors: Gaoliang Yang, Yunxiang Li, Hong Pang, Kun Chang, Jinhua Ye

Institutions: Hokkaido University, National Institute for Materials Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Tianjin University, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering Tianjin

Language: English

Topic: Iron oxide chemistry and applications

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China