Nanosheets Co3O4 Interleaved with Graphene for Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction.
Efficient yet inexpensive electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are an essential component of renewable energy devices, such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. We herein interleaved novel Co3O4 nanosheets with graphene to develop a first ever sheet-on-sheet heterostructured electrocatalyst for ORR, whose electrocatalytic activity outperformed the state-of-the-art commercial Pt/C with exceptional durability in alkaline solution. The composite demonstrates the highest activity of all the nonprecious metal electrocatalysts, such as those derived from Co3O4 nanoparticle/nitrogen-doped graphene hybrids and carbon nanotube/nanoparticle composites. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that the outstanding performance originated from the significant charge transfer from graphene to Co3O4 nanosheets promoting the electron transport through the whole structure. Theoretical calculations revealed that the enhanced stability can be ascribed to the strong interaction generated between both types of sheets.
School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland , St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
Taiwo
T
Odedairo
Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University , Nathan Campus, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia.
Xuecheng
X
Yan
School of Engineering, University of South Australia , Mawson Lakes, South Australia 5095, Australia.
Jun
J
Ma
School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane, Queensland, 4000, Australia.
Yalong
Y
Jiao
Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University , Nathan Campus, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia.
Xiangdong
X
Yao
School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane, Queensland, 4000, Australia.
Aijun
A
Du
School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland , St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
Zhonghua
Z
Zhu
Nanosheets Co3O4; fuel cell; nonprecious metal; oxygen reduction reaction; sheet-on-sheet heterostructure