Electrospun carbon nanofibers loaded with spinel-type cobalt oxide as bifunctional catalysts for enhanced oxygen electrocatalysis

The electrocatalysis of oxygen in alkaline media is a challenging issue, influencing the performance of many electrochemical devices: fuel cells, unitized regenerative fuel cells, electrolyzers and metal-air batteries. This new manuscript proposes the synthesis of graphitic carbon nanofibers obtaine...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Alegre Gresa, Cinthia, Busacca, Concetta, Di Blasi, Alessandra, Aricò, Antonino Salvatore, Antonucci, Vincenzo, Modica, E., Baglio, Vincenzo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/209726
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/209726
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Bifunctional air electrodes
Oxygen reduction
Oxygen evolution
Spinel
Electrospinning
Descripción
Sumario:The electrocatalysis of oxygen in alkaline media is a challenging issue, influencing the performance of many electrochemical devices: fuel cells, unitized regenerative fuel cells, electrolyzers and metal-air batteries. This new manuscript proposes the synthesis of graphitic carbon nanofibers obtained by electrospinning with a cobalt-based spinel oxide, Co3O4/CNF. By means of a simple, reproducible and scalable method, a bifunctional catalyst with a promising performance is obtained, being able of carrying out the electrocatalysis of oxygen (oxidation of water, evolution and reduction of oxygen) in a basic solution. The combination of the active species on cobalt oxide (Co2+, Co3+ and Co-Nx), along with active species in the carbon nanofiber (graphitic and pyridinic N), gives rise to a catalyst with a remarkable reversibility (difference between E10 mA/cm2 (evolution) and Ehalf-wave-potential (reduction)): ΔE =795 mV), a low over-potential for the evolution of oxygen (η =416 mV) and 919 mV of oxygen reduction onset potential, very similar to that of a benchmark catalyst, Pt/C.