A Nanosized Manganese-Based Chalcogenide Composite for Enhanced Electrocatalytic OER

• Published in: Journal of electronic materials 2023-06, Vol.52 (6), p.3661-3671
• Main Authors: Alharbi, F. F., Farid, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Electrocatalysts; Electronics and Microelectronics; Fourier transforms; Heterostructures; Hydrogen; Hydrogen production; Instrumentation; Manganese oxides; Materials Science; Noble metals; Optical and Electronic Materials; Original Research Article; Oxygen evolution reactions; Rare earth elements; Solid State Physics; Stability analysis; Water splitting; X ray powder diffraction
• ISSN: 0361-5235; 1543-186X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11664-023-10330-z

The excruciatingly sluggish kinetics of the water-splitting reaction impedes the production of hydrogen (H 2 ) from water. Additionally, the design of effective oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts needs to be improved to better understand the major barrier to the OER. As inexpensive electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting, manganese bichalcogenide heterostructures and their equivalents, manganese oxide (MnO) and manganese sulfide (MnS), are synthesized, characterized, and electrochemically evaluated in this study. Powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are all used to study these electrocatalysts. The MnS/MnO electrocatalyst is found to be extremely effective and stable, and it starts the OER at an astonishingly low potential of 331 mV (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode [RHE]), with a Tafel slope of 33 mV dec −1 at 10 mA cm −2 . The MnS/MnO electrocatalyst outperforms its MnO and MnS counterparts under identical electrochemical conditions for OER in an aqueous KOH (1.0 M) solution. These outcomes surpass those of benchmark rare earth metal and Mn-based electrocatalysts. The stability results of long-term analysis and cycling analysis indicate that the fabricated nanohybrids are stable for 30 h after 1000 cycles. This innovation offers a desirable non-noble metal that is very effective and stable as an OER electrocatalyst.