Fe-doped CoO@C nanoparticles derived from layered double hydroxide used as efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction

Compared with noble metal catalyst, Co3O4-based electrocatalysts have attracted considerable interesting as low-cost alternatives for oxygen evolution reaction（OER）. However, the poor electrocatalytic activity still remains a huge challenge. Herein, we demonstrate a feasible approach through oxidation of CoFe layered double hydroxide（CoFe-LDH） to synthesize Fe-doped Co3O4@C nanoparticles with size of about30–50 nm. As OER catalyst, the as-synthesized Fe-doped Co3O4@C nanoparticles exhibited superior OER performance with a small overpotential of 260 mV at the current density of 20 mA cm-2, a small Tafel slope of 70 mV dec-1 and long-term durability（there was no obviously OER current density degradation for 100 h） in alkaline solution. The present work opens a new avenue to the exploration of cost-effective and excellent electrocatalysts based on transition metal oxide materials to substitute precious metal materials for water splitting.