Cobalt/Carbon Nanocomposite as Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalyst

Electrocatalysts based on cobalt are promising catalytic materials for water electrolysis. In this work, We reported a catalyst composed of cobalt nanoparticles embeded in a carbon lattice through synthesis with a cationic polymer (PEI) and carbonization process at three temperatures (800, 900 and 1000 degrees C). The material obtained at 1000 degrees C showed the highest activity towards the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline medium (1M KOH). Moreover, the OER overpotential required to reach 10 mAcm(-2) of 296 mV, was lower than for the commercial RuO2 catalyst. Further, the material also exhibited very good stability in a long-term stability test at 10 mAcm(-2).