1 research outputs found
Effect of Fe and Co Incorporation on Morphology and Oxygen Evolution Reaction Performance of β‑Co(OH)<sub>2</sub>: An In Situ Electrochemical Atomic Force Microscopy Investigation
Cobalt-based hydroxides are widely used as classical
electrocatalysts
in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and their performance is usually
regulated by incorporation. It is essential for improving the efficiency
of catalysis to track the dynamic changes during the electrochemical
process. Here, the different morphological evolution and OER performance
variation of incorporation of Fe and Co into β-Co(OH)2 nanosheets under electrochemical conditions were elucidated by in
situ electrochemical atomic force microscopy. The production of numerous
particles is observed on the initial flat surface of β-Co(OH)2 nanosheets during potential cycling in a Fe2+-spiked
electrolyte, while the formation of little flakes is the principally
morphological change during potential cycling in a Co2+-spiked electrolyte. This type of discrepancy is due primarily to
the fact that the complete irreversible oxidation of β-Co(OH)2 is promoted by Fe incorporation instead of Co incorporation.
Additionally, the OER performance of the nanosheets with Fe incorporation
presents a more significant improvement compared with that of the
nanosheets with Co incorporation. It is on account that the OER performance
benefits from Fe incorporation as well as the resulting complete conversion
of β-Co(OH)2 into β-CoOOH and the generation
of particles with a greater number of highly reactive sites for the
OER. Our findings are conducive to gaining an essence of how the incorporation
affects the OER properties of β-Co(OH)2 nanosheets
through modifying morphological and component evolutions, which are
vital for the advancements of cobalt-based hydroxides