Facile loading mesoporous Co3O4 on nitrogen doped carbon matrix as an enhanced oxygen electrode catalyst

Abstract A nanocomposite with mesoporous Co 3 O 4 loaded on nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon (Co 3 O 4 @NMC) has been constructed by a facile post-grinding process. The electro-catalytic experimental results show that Co 3 O 4 @NMC (1:3) can be regarded as the low-cost alternative ORR/OER bi-functional catalyst compared with commercial noble Pt/C + IrO 2 catalysts. The potential difference (Δ E ) between between E 1/2 and E j10 for Co 3 O 4 @NMC (1:3) sample is only 21 mV larger. Moreover, we observed no obvious degeneration in both ORR and OER activity during ADT tests. The enhancement of electro-catalytic activity can be attributed to the effective charge transfer process as suggested by the Tafel analysis due to the synergistic effect.