Flame Synthesis of Fe-Doped Co3O4/CNT/NF for Highly Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction

The development of efficient, long-lasting, low-cost, and environment friendly electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reactions (OER) is imminent in many energy storage and conversion devices. Here, a unique electrocatalyst of Fe-doped Co 3 O 4 particles loaded on carbon nanotubes (Fe-doped Co 3 O 4 /CNT/NF) was synthesized by a one-step flame method. This method significantly reduces the reaction time (the whole flame process just maintain ~ 10 s). The doping of iron significantly enhances the activity of the OER, as demonstrated by a reduced overpotential of 232 mV to achieve 10 mA cm −2 , a tiny Tafel slope (34.1 mV dec −1 ), and long-lasting durability in an alkaline electrolyte. This work provides a potential possibility for large-scale industrial production. Graphical Abstract The carbon nanotubes attached with Fe-doped and Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles were generated in situ by a simple and reliable one-step flame method. Fe-doped and Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles were immobilized on the surface of the carbon nanotubes, resulting in Co being able to expose more active edges. As a result, the newly designed Fe-doped Co 3 O 4 /CNT/NF exhibits lower overpotential and Tafel slope. The low cost of the basic materials in this design and the easy and fast preparation method ensure that it can be produced on a large scale.