Heterostructure of core–shell IrCo@IrCoO x as efficient and stable catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction

Although researches on non-noble metal electrocatalysts have been made some progress recently, their performance in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer is still incomparable to that of noble-metal-based catalysts. Therefore, it is a more practical way to improve the utilization of precious metals in electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in the acidic medium. Herein, nanostructured IrCo@IrCoOxcore-shell electrocatalysts composed of IrCo alloy core and IrCoOxshell were synthesized through a simple colloidally synthesis and calcination method. As expected, the hybrid IrCo-200 NPs with petal-like morphology show the best OER activities in acidic electrolytes. They deliver lower overpotential and better electrocatalytic kinetics than pristine IrCo alloy and commercial Ir/C, reaching a low overpotential (j = 10 mA cm-2) of 259 mV (versus RHE) and a Tafel slope of 59 mV dec-1. The IrCo-200 NPs displayed robust durability with life time of about 55 h in acidic solution under a large current density of 50 mA cm-2. The enhanced electrocatalytic activity may be associated with the unique metal/amorphous metal oxide core-shell heterostructure, allowing the improved charge transferability. Moreover, the *OH-rich amorphous shell functions as the active site for OER and prevents the further dissolution of the metallic core and thus ensures high stability.