Rare-earth neodymium doping boosts the catalytic performance of Co3O4 for acidic water oxidation
Zhang X. Zhang M. Zhang S. Baizhumanova T.S. Tungatarova S.A. Zhang H. Chen C. Han Y. Li X. Ma S.
5 June 2025Elsevier Ltd
Journal of Alloys and Compounds
2025#1031
Developing highly efficient and long-lasting electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acidic conditions is crucial for advancing proton-exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) technology. In this work, we present a high-performance OER catalyst by doping the rare-earth element neodymium (Nd) into cobalt oxide (Co3O4). The Nd-doped Co3O4 catalyst demonstrates exceptional OER performance, exhibiting an overpotential of merely 304 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 0.5 M H2SO4. This performance exceeds that of most non-noble-metal-based catalysts and is comparable to some Ru-based noble-metal catalysts. Furthermore, the catalyst demonstrates excellent long-term stability, maintaining stable performance even after continuous operation in the PEM flow cell for 24 h. Density functional theory (DFT) computations reveal that Nd doping refines the electronic structure of Co3O4, boosts electrical conductivity, and decreases the energy barriers associated with the formation of crucial OER intermediates. Additionally, the introduction of Nd induces oxygen vacancies and modulates the valence states of cobalt, further enhancing the materials structural stability. This work introduces a novel and effective approach to designing cost-effective, high-performance OER electrocatalysts, providing valuable insights for advancing sustainable energy conversion technologies.
Acidic conditions , Density functional theory , Nd doped Co3O4 , Oxygen evolution reaction
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School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering (Key Lab of Ecological Restoration in Hilly Areas), Pingdingshan University, Pingdingshan, 467000, China
Henan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Green Hydrogen & Electrochemical Energy Storage, 467000, China
School of Medical, Pingdingshan University, Henan, Pingdingshan, 467000, China
D.V. Sokolsky Institute of Fuel, Catalysis and Electrochemistry, 142, Kunaev str, Almaty, 050010, Kazakhstan
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 71, al-Farabi str, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering (Key Lab of Ecological Restoration in Hilly Areas)
Henan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Green Hydrogen & Electrochemical Energy Storage
School of Medical
D.V. Sokolsky Institute of Fuel
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
University of Science and Technology of China
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