Fe-Incorporated Metal-Organic Cobalt Hydroxide Toward Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Metal-organic cobalt hydroxide emerges as a cost-effective electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in energy conversion. However, the limited active sites and poor conductivity hinder their large-scale application. This study employed salicylate as a bridging ligand to synthesize iron-incorporated metal-organic cobalt hydroxide. The influence of Fe intercalation on Co(OH)(Hsal) (where Hsal denotes o-HOCHCOO) was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). FeCo(OH)(Hsal) demonstrates remarkable electrocatalytic activity, displaying an OER overpotential of 298 mV at 10 mA cm and a Tafel slope of 57.46 mV dec. This enhancement can be attributed to improved charge transfer kinetics and increased active sites. This work highlights the crucial role of Fe in improving the efficiency of Co-based oxygen-evolving catalysts (OECs) and its potential for boosting efficient hydrogen generation in alkaline environments. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.).