A high-performance reduced graphene oxide/ZnCo layered double hydroxide electrocatalyst for efficient water oxidation

Abstract

Tailoring high performance, stable, and earth-abundant electrocatalysts for water oxidation is of fundamental importance for the development of promising energy conversion and storage technologies. In this work, we report a remarkably simple and efficient approach for the preparation of ZnCo-layered double hydroxides and reduced graphene oxide (RGO/ZnCo-LDH) nanocomposites via a facile one-pot coprecipitation method. The resulting RGO/ZnCo-LDH complex investigated for the first time as a catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) exhibits higher electrocatalytic activity (with onset overpotential ∼330 mV in 0.1 M KOH) and excellent stability than pristine ZnCo-layered double hydroxides and commercial Pt/C, making it a highly efficient nonprecious metal-based novel LDH composite electrocatalyst for OER.