A-Site Cation-Ordering Layered Perovskite EuBa0.5Sr0.5Co2- x Fe x O5+δ as Highly Active and Durable Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

ACS Omega. 2020 May 20;5(21):12501-12515. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.0c01383. eCollection 2020 Jun 2.

Abstract

The developments of high-performance and tolerant catalysts may enable more sustainable energy in the future, especially toward water oxidation. Herein, we report A-site cation-ordering layered perovskite EuBa0.5Sr0.5Co2-x Fe x O5+δ (EBSCFx) (x = 0.2-0.6) electrocatalysts. When evaluated for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media, EuBa0.5Sr0.5Co1.6Fe0.4O5+δ (EBSCF0.4) exhibits the best catalytic activity among all of these catalysts, as evidenced by the lowest overpotential of 420 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2. Notably, the catalytic activity of EBSCF0.4 is better than that of commercial IrO2 at the overpotential >460 mV. Furthermore, the EBSCF0.4-20RuO2 (involving 20 wt % RuO2) composite catalyst is developed and gives an overpotential as low as 390 mV at 50 mA cm-2, which is even superior to commercial RuO2. For overall water splitting, an electrolysis voltage of merely 1.47 V is achieved at 10 mA cm-2 in an electrolyzer employing EBSCF0.4-20RuO2 as bifunctional catalysts, with exceptional durability for 24 h. Such a performance outperforms state-of-the-art IrO2∥Pt/C and RuO2∥Pt/C couples. According to density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the unique catalytic properties of EBSCF0.4 may benefit from highly active Fe sites with octahedral coordination, and the synergistic effects of Fe and Ru sites in the composite catalyst accelerate the electrochemical water oxidation.