Elucidating the Role of Oxide–Oxide/Carbon Interfaces of CuOx–CeO2/C in Boosting Electrocatalytic Performance

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02754
• Publication Date: 2020-12-01T03:49:56Z
• Authors: Chiranjita Goswami; Yusuke Yamada; Ekaterina V. Matus; Ilyas Z. Ismagilov; Mikhail Kerzhentsev; Pankaj Bharali
• Keywords: CeO; Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified; four-electron ORR pathway; Physiology; onset; Biophysics; 20 mV; 02 engineering and technology; Tafel; Biochemistry; Microbiology; Ce; oxygen vacancies; Inorganic Chemistry; 4 mV; OER activity; Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified; carbon bed; Genetics; Evolutionary Biology; EC; Computational Biology; Pt; shift; Boosting Electrocatalytic Performan.; bifunctional oxygen reduction reaction; CuO; 6 h; oxygen evolution reaction; durability test; Medicine; oxide; stability test; dec; 0210 nano-technology; Neuroscience

Herein, we report the synthesis and bifunctional oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activities of a CuOx-CeO2/C electrocatalyst (EC) with rich oxide-oxide and oxide-carbon interfaces. It not only demonstrates a smaller Tafel slope (65 mV dec-1) and higher limiting current density (-5.03 mA cm-2) but also exhibits an onset potential (-0.10 V vs Ag/AgCl) comparable to that of benchmark Pt/C. Besides undergoing the favorable direct four-electron ORR pathway, it unveils a loss of 23% of its initial current after 6 h of a stability test and a negative shift of 4 mV in the half-wave potential after the accelerated durability test compared to the corresponding current loss of 28% and negative shift of 20 mV for Pt/C. It also reveals remarkable OER activity in an alkaline medium with a low onset potential (0.20 V) and a smaller Tafel slope (177 mV dec-1). The bifunctional ORR/OER activity of CuOx-CeO2/C EC can be ascribed to the synergistic effects, its unique structure with enriched oxygen vacancies owing to the presence of Ce4+/Ce3+, robust oxide-oxide and oxide-carbon heterointerfaces, and homogeneous dispersion of oxides over the carbon bed, which facilitates faster electronic conduction.