Controlled Phase Evolution from Co Nanochains to CoO Nanocubes and Their Application as OER Catalysts

One-dimensional materials favoring efficient charge transfer have attracted enormous attentions. Here cobalt nanochains are prepared by a direct-current (DC) arc-discharge method under the gaseous mixture of He and H2. The Co nanochains can range up to several micrometers. When H2 is replaced by CO2, the sample shows a phase evolution from Co nanochains to CoO nanocubes. The ratio of CoO/Co can be effortlessly altered by varying the partial pressure of CO2 in the reaction gas mixture. CoO nanocubes are attained in the pure CO2. The prepared samples are explored as catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The catalytic activity is highly dependent on the phase proportion of Co and CoO. The sample prepared under CO2:He = 1:7 unveils the optimal OER performance with an onset point of 1.50 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and an overpotential of 350 mV at 10 mA cm–2. The high OER performance can be attributed to synergistic effect and charge transfer process between Co and CoO. Co can inject electrons into CoO, which manipulates the work function of CoO to make it more suitable for oxygen evolution. The good OER performance can also be ascribed to the defective structure of CoO. The CoO/Co composite shows good robustness with less than 8% current loss throughout the long-term test.