Fabrication of defective mesoporous cerium oxide nanostructure for promoting an efficient and stable electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract

The development of renewable energy technologies, such as fuel cells, electrolysersand metal-air batteries, relies heavily on the availability of highly efficient electrocatalysts for the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Defected ceria (D-CeO2) has a high potential to compete with the activity of RuO2 based OER catalysts. We have synthesiseda mesoporous nanostructure ceria (CeO2) with induced defects using a simple and economical approach at a relatively low temperature. The observed catalytic activity of the prepared D-CeO2 porous nanostructure was found to be remarkable. Additionally, the nanostructure exhibited a high tolerance to methanol and demonstrated durability towards OER in alkaline media. During the experiment, it was observed that the catalyst exhibited noteworthy activity in the OER compared to the commercially available RuO2 catalyst, as this is evident by a higher current density and more negative onset potential. The catalyst's remarkable OER activity is attributed to the synergistic effect resulting from the combination of defect sites and the porous structure of CeO2. CeO2 mesoporous nanostructures serve as excellent electrocatalysts for OER due to their elevated surface area, robust catalytic activity, and stability. Furthermore, their mesoporous configuration enhances mass transport, expedites oxygen transfer, mitigates electrode polarisation, and enhances the overall electrochemical performance.

Keywords

• Renewable Energy
• Electrocatalyst
• CeO2
• Defect mesoporous nanostructure
• Oxygen Evolution Reaction
• Synergistic effect