Co_(1–x–y)Fe_xZn_y-Glycerolate Microspheres as Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Coordination compounds based on transition metals have attracted significant attention for electrocatalyst applications due to their tunable composition and excellent properties as electrode materials. Herein, the design of ternary CoFeZn-glycerolate (CoFeZn-Gly) as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline medium is reported. The combination of Co, Fe, and Zn in the generated microspheres, approaching equimolar conditions, was noted to tend to generate aggregated spheres with an average size of ∼306 nm. The optimized CoFeZn-Gly OER electrocatalyst showed an overpotential of 335 mV (at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2) and a Tafel slope of 37.2 mV dec^-1, having the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) as a substrate. Further, the ternary electrocatalyst delivered good stability with a potential retention of 99.22% after 24 h of chronopotentiometry collected at 10 mA cm^-2, in a 1.0 M KOH electrolyte.