Enhanced electrocatalytic oxygen evolution of α-Co(OH)2 nanosheets on carbon nanotube/polyimide films

Abstract

The future of energy supply depends on innovative breakthroughs in the development of highly efficient, sustainable and low-cost systems for renewable energy conversion and storage. Water splitting is a promising and appealing solution. In this work, we report Co(OH)₂ on the carbon nanotube/polyimide film (PI/CNT-Co(OH)₂) as an efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The PI/CNT film allows intimate growth of Co(OH)₂ nanosheets on its surface. The nanosheet structure of Co(OH)₂ and the underlying PI/CNT film facilitate the good OER performance of the PI/CNT-Co(OH)₂ film. Co(OH)₂ nanosheets on the PI/CNT film afford an earlier onset of oxygen evolution, a low overpotential of 317 mV and a small Tafel slope of 49 mV per decade in alkaline media. This work applies the PI/CNT film in water splitting to enhance the OER electrocatalytic activity of Co(OH)₂, which opens up a promising avenue for the exploration of highly active electrocatalysts that can replace noble-metal based catalysts for the OER.