ZIF-67/COF-derived highly dispersed Co3O4/N-doped porous carbon with excellent performance for oxygen evolution reaction and Li-ion batteries

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Vol. 330; pp. 1255 - 1264
• Main Authors: Zhuang, Gui-lin, Gao, Yi-fen, Zhou, Xiang, Tao, Xin-yong, Luo, Jian-min, Gao, Yi-jing, Yan, Yi-long, Gao, Pei-yuan, Zhong, Xing, Wang, Jian-guo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.12.2017
• Subjects: Co3O4; COF; Electrocatalytical properties; MOF; Oxygen evolution reaction; Oxygen evolution reaction; COF; MOF; Co3O4; Electrocatalytical properties
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2017.08.076

Highly Dispersed Co3O4/NPC were rationally prepared from ZIF-67/COF and exhibit excellent OER and LIB property. [Display omitted] •Highly-dispersed Co3O4/N-doped porous carbons were synthesized.•Co3O4/NPC features highly active crystal plane and a large specific surface area.•Co3O4/NPC shows high oxygen evolution reaction and Li-ion battery properties. Herein we report a facile bottom-up strategy to prepare highly dispersed supported Co3O4 on N-doped Porous Carbon (NPC). Specifically, ZIF-67 (ZIF=Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks) microcrystals firstly grow on benzoic acid modified covalent organic framework (BFC), resulting in ZIF-67/COF composite. Subsequently, highly dispersed Co3O4/NPC was obtained via the calcination of ZIF-67/COF. Interestingly, high dispersion of supported Co3O4 is dominated by homogeneous distribution of benzoic acid auchoring on nanoporous COF. More notably, largely triggered by the porosity and confining effect of COF, the resultant Co3O4/NPC features highly active crystal plane and a large specific surface area of 228.0m2/g. Furthermore, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) measurement results demonstrated that highly dispersed Co3O4/NPC features good catalytic activity (330mV overpotential at 10mA.cm−2, 79mV.dec−1 Tafel slope and mass activity of 130A.g−1 at overpotential of 400mV) and durable stability, superior to currently available counterparts. Moreover, Li-ion battery (LIB) tests also showed high reversible capacity (785mA.h.g−1 at 500mA.g−1) as well as excellent cycling stability and rate performance. Furthermore, Density functional theory (DFT) calculation results demonstrated that these superior OER properties can be attributed to the geometrical and electronic effects of Co3O4/NPC on activation and adsorption/desorption of reaction species.